For Her
by Rob Sears
Summary: An AU in which the Quarians make First Contact with Earth in the near future, much to the surprise of its inhabitants, and one young man. Violence, sexual content, strong language.
1. Prologue: Cheyenne Mountain

**For Her**

* * *

Lieutenant Leeds yawned as he looked at his console, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

It was 10:40 at night, normally he should have been more awake. Unfortunately in his case, he had made the mistake last night of perusing his favorite bar in Colorado Springs last night. He had stayed up until three in the morning, trying to score with this woman who was a complete knock-out. His efforts, alas, had all been for nothing as he had come home with no date and would eventually get no sleep. And now he was paying the price for his mistake.

Leeds glanced at the clock on his console, praying for it to reach 11:00. At NORAD, he was usually responsible for organizing flight plans for aerial exercises, but since Levinson was out with the flu, he was in his place in front of the radar, mindlessly staring at it until the late night exercise would get underway.

Grumbling under his breath, Leeds considered stealing away to use the restroom and grabbing a Coke along the way. He desperately needed something to perk him up if he wanted to survive the night. If Major Wasser caught him asleep at his console, he would be PT'd in front of the entire squadron for the next month. He shuddered at the thought.

The clock now read 10:53, only seven more minutes until the Fifth Fighter Squadron would test the capabilities of the new radar system. It was co-developed by the Air Force and Raytheon as a black project. They had to classify it that way in order to maintain the highest security during development. People just couldn't trust anyone these days.

And who could blame them? Officially it was a time of peace, but there was no telling when that peace would be suddenly and irreparably shattered. This was why the radar system was developed in the first place, to detect America's enemies before they had a chance to strike against the very land that men like Lieutenant Leeds loved so dearly.

The abrupt _ping!_ of the radar jerked Leeds out of his reverie, perhaps to punish him for even thinking about nodding off while on duty. Leeds immediately sat upright in his seat, sleepiness left behind. His eyes shot to the clock, where it read 10:57. That struck him as odd. Those flyboys were never early, they were either on time or unreasonably late. Take your pick.

Concern rising in his head, he quickly turned toward the radar. The new system used a type of laser as a form of identification; the innovative part was that it was designed to scan plane configurations and analyze them in a database. Different countries used different types of aircraft and the uniqueness of the system would give the military a lead in case they were ever attacked by a foreign enemy.

Right now, the display on Leeds' console showed a blip which read, "NO CONFIGURATION" in bright red letters on his screen. Leeds frowned. The system was new, and there were bound to be bugs, but they had already tested the scan feature by deliberately flying planes of various types and origins into the laser's path. All were immediately and accurately identified. To add to his confusion, the blip was more than 300 miles off the surface of the earth.

Something wasn't right, an F-22 couldn't reach an altitude of that height. Unless SpaceX passed one of their new shuttles underneath the path of the radar, which was statistically impossible, the only thing that could possibly go that high would have to be….

Lieutenant Leeds lunged for the built-in phone on his console and punched the number 2. Major Wasser's brisk voice immediately squawked through the speaker.

"Leeds? What is it?"

Leeds gulped before answering his superior's query. "Sir, it's probably nothing. But you should check this, to be sure."

* * *

_**Note 5/4: Chapter 11 slightly extended. Go see for yourself!**_


	2. Chapter 1: First Contact

2017

**Danbury, Connecticut**

* * *

"Gavin, you idiot! You almost hit me with that rock!"

"Sorry, mate! Didn't see you until it was too late."

The bickering voices carried across the reservoir, undoubtedly reaching several of the homes that adorned it and upsetting the residents. If the perpetrators were aware of this fact, then they paid no mind, for no one had called them out on their rude conduct yet.

If anyone had managed the effort to walk out onto their deck at this ungodly hour, they would have been able to visualize five dark shapes trudging along the Lower Kohanza Reservoir, creating a racket that only could be possible by youths.

The fact of the matter was, the young adults that were hiking along the reservoir's southerly border, a grassy hill that substituted as a dam, were completely oblivious to all of the noise that they were causing. For it was nearly 11:00 at night in the summer, and all five of them were enjoying the company of each other, in a disruptive but ultimately friendly situation.

The one who had shouted out in anger, Alec Lee, was now fast approaching the culprit who threw the offending rock. Alec was 18, of average height, and 140 pounds, but he carried himself with a confidence that made the man he was stalking towards cower with fear. When he was within arm's reach, Alec's arm shot out quickly and caught Gavin's shoulder. Gavin yelped with the sudden pain.

"What the fuck were you doing? I thought you were skipping stones off the lake, not chucking them at people's heads!"

"I'm sorry, Alec!" Gavin threw both of his hands up in apology, "It minged out of my hand, is all."

Gavin May, like Alec, was around the same height but a tad bit lighter. Whereas Alec had thick brown hair and a thin face, Gavin's hair was thinner and his face was more round. Gavin originally hailed from Britain and his way of talking caused him to become the butt of light teasing from his peers. It was a tic that Gavin still had to adjust, much to his dismay.

"Grip it tighter next time, man." Alec said, shoving Gavin lightly. "Jesus Christ."

Watching from the sidelines, Anthony Wyatt barked with laughter at the display of violence. Anthony was 6'1'', weighed 180 pounds, and was known for being a brash loudmouth that managed to grate on everyone's nerves.

"Quit your bitching, Gavin." Anthony yelled, still chuckling. "Alec doesn't even hit that hard and you're complaining like you just got shot."

"Shut the fuck up, Anthony." Alec shot back, but he was grinning as he said it.

"No one likes you, Anthony." A new voice agreed.

Heather Katz hurried over to Gavin and instinctively hugged him protectively. Heather was slight for a girl her age, sported brilliant amber hair, and was extremely possessive of her boyfriend, Gavin.

Gavin looked slightly embarrassed at his predicament and Alec laughed it off.

"Oh dear, Heather's utilizing Gavin as a human shield. You're safe for now, _mate_."

"Tosser." Gavin muttered under his breath. Heather giggled at that.

"You're so cute when you spout nonsense words."

Gavin's voice rose an octave, "It's not nonsense! It's a common slang in Britain, it means…."

Watching the whole exchange, Nicole Mosley rolled her eyes. Always the pragmatist of the group, she rarely indulged in the immature, yet playful, detours that the group inevitably would stray into. Shaking her head, her dirty blond hair flowed behind her, catching in the sudden burst of wind.

"If you morons are done complaining," disdain dripping from her voice, "I would love to at least have a conversation that's actually worthwhile."

Alec sighed. Nicole was one of those types of people that had to get her way or no one was going to be happy. Seeing as she had a valid point, there was no use in trying to argue with her.

"All right, Nicole," he countered, "What would you like to discuss now that we're out at the lake in the middle of the night?"

"Maybe if you would stop comparing dick sizes, we could-"

"Hold up!" Gavin exclaimed, "What the bloody hell is that?"

Gavin was frantically pointing over the tree line to the north. The man was practically hopping on the soles of his feet, he was so agitated.

Anthony craned his neck to see what Gavin was referring to. "All right Gavin, cut the shit. What is the matter with you?"

"I'm not lying! There's something coming from the trees! All _glowing_ and-"

"Like what? There is nothing out-"

"Shut up!" hissed Alec, "Do you hear that?"

All five were immediately silent so they could listen in the dead of the night. For the first few seconds, all they could hear was the rustle of trees, the chirping of crickets, the croak of a pond frog. Anthony, exasperated, turned to insult Gavin some more when a low _thrum_ started to reverberate throughout the area.

Everyone stood absolutely still, not even bothering to guess what it was. The noise was starting to vibrate the ground, the pebbles on the path that they were standing started to clack and clatter. And now, just like Gavin had said, there was light protruding from the top of the trees. Only this wasn't the light from someone's porch or a moving car, this light was dark orange and was rapidly intensifying as if its origin was moving towards the group. Anthony was starting to step backwards, as was Nicole, but the rest of them stayed absolutely put. The vibrating was getting more intense, it was starting to develop in their ears and everyone started to cover them with their hands. The droning noise was not ceasing, it only continued to get louder. Alec thought his eardrums were going to burst from all of the pressure surrounding them.

Suddenly, at the point where Alec could not think that his ears could hold any more, a dark mass rose above the lake, past the trees and above his head. The object was enormous, made of some type of metal, and was moving too slowly for regular aircraft. That's when Alec noticed that there were jets underneath the object, keeping it aloft while thrusters in the rear propelled it forward. The group continued to gape at what was currently transpiring, even after the object disappeared out of view and further south, towards the town. No one spoke for a few seconds, until Alec broke the silence.

"Was that what I think it was?

"Um…yeah," Anthony breathed, "I think that was a spaceship."

"But was it ours, or…another's?" Gavin said, haltingly. Alec turned to look at him and the man was shaking all over, probably from excitement.

Alec glanced back up towards the sky. "No way was that made on Earth. That had to be, you know, _alien_."

Nicole elicited a short laugh at this hypothesis. "Aliens? Really? Why would they come to Danbury? It's in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere. Actually, why am I even agreeing with this? _Aliens_, for fuck's sake. You people have seen too many movies."

"Think about it," Alec said defensively, not wanting to lose this argument, "That ship was too massive for it to have been built by humans. It looked like it was propelled by jets or something science-y, and it didn't look aerodynamic enough to have even been designed by a human. Also, they don't bring untested aircraft over populated areas. That's always performed in the desert."

Nicole opened her mouth to say something, but closed it shut after a few seconds. Alec crossed his arms, pleased at his victory.

"It kind of looked like it was headed towards Tarrywile," Anthony added, referring to the large park close to downtown. "Maybe we could...you know…take a look?"

Alec held his chin in a mock pose of someone deep in thought, then abruptly bolted for the road where his vehicle was parked.

"Where are you going?" Heather shouted.

"I'm not missing any chance at seeing a fucking alien!" Alec screamed back.

At this, Anthony surged toward the road while Heather, Gavin, and Nicole stood frozen in shock. Then they all started running in earnest, until Gavin tripped over his own shoe and faceplanted into the dusty path.

"Come _on_, Gavin!" Alec heard Nicole shout in exasperation, and it was all he could do to not burst into laughter at that very moment, but he was stone faced, too concentrated on the prospect of catching a glimpse of extraterrestrial life to laugh at such slapstick violence.

Alec vaulted over a low stone wall to his Honda Shadow Sabre that he had parked on the curb. He had bought the bike a month ago using the cash from his job (much to his parents' horror). Despite the shaky transition from car to motorcycle, he had eventually adapted to the feel of the machine and now used it for practically everything. A simple ride to town was not exactly a tall order here.

As soon as Alec ignited his machine, Anthony clambered onto his own BMW sport bike as both of them put on their helmets and gunned their vehicles down the road. Far behind them, Gavin, Heather, and Nicole were desperately trying to stuff themselves into Heather's old Subaru Impreza. Heather was a careful driver, which for high schoolers, meant that she drove the speed limit exactly and was in no way reckless in any situation.

The same could not be said for Alec and Anthony, who were too busy belting down the hill to get to the bottommost neighborhood to care about the ramifications of a high speed wreck. Taking a shortcut, they raced past the old metal factory and through the low income areas of Danbury. When they turned onto Division Street, they immediately saw that they had a problem. In front of them was a blockade of police squad cars, their lights flaring red and blue down the whole road. Not slowing down, Alec gestured to Anthony and they turned onto a side street, where they hoped would get around the roadblock.

Unfortunately, the street that they had gone down was also blocked by a police car, and for the moment, both Alec and Anthony sat on their idling bikes, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, Anthony rapped Alec on the shoulder to get his attention. When Alec turned his head, Anthony was pointing at a house on the street. More specifically, he was pointing at the area behind the house.

Alec grinned, "I like the way you think." And with that, he twisted the throttle on his bike and it shot forward, up the drive of the house.

Wrestling with the handlebars, the bike turned into the backyard and continued on, through the bushes and shrubs of the fellow neighbors. Branches and twigs slapped at Alec and Anthony but their helmets protected them from the stinging blows. Turning his head to the left, Alec noted that they had bypassed the blockade set up on the street but the sound of their engines had alerted the officers to their scheme and loud sirens suddenly joined the cacophony of their own bikes.

Bursting onto the road, the two of them continued to race past house after house, turning on side street after side street. Watching Anthony frantically wave his arms up ahead, both of them turned into a well concealed drive and furiously switched off their bikes. Moments later, they heard the squeal of tires and the song of the sirens as the cars drove past, searching for their lost quarry. They spent a few minutes in the silence and then removed their helmets, fastening them to their motorcycles. They wouldn't need them for the rest of the night.

Crossing the road, they were now on park property and they scrambled up a small incline that led to a field. In the day the field would be bright yellow, stalks of grain waving in the sun, jostling in the slightest breeze. Now, it was only black, and both boys were essentially blind in the sudden darkness.

"This is the only place the ship could have landed," Anthony breathed, not wanting to alert any extra attention. "Where are they?"

Alec tilted his head, "They're probably in the center of the park. That's the only area big enough to fit a ship like that."

The two of them started to jog quietly towards the aforementioned area, pausing occasionally only to detect if they were being followed. Climbing the final hill while prone, there laid their goal.

By earth standards it was ugly, a circular portion in the front, and the back looked like it was cobbled together from old shipping containers. Compared to anything in its vicinity, it was utterly massive, eclipsing the tallest tree in the area by a few lengths. What struck Alec as odd was the cluster of humans gathered near where a ramp had extended from the ship. Several of the humans were wearing black suits, while a company of soldiers was standing guard around them. Alec noted the presence of police officers in a hasty looking circle surrounding the ship itself.

A form was currently exiting the confines of the vessel and to Alec it appeared humanoid. He was not able to see very much from the distance he was at so he moved back into a crouching position and started to move off the path into the bushes, out of sight of the patrolmen.

"Alec! What the fuck are you doing?" Anthony hissed furiously.

Alec put a finger to his lips, shook his head at Anthony and continued moving down in the cover of the bushes. There was a path through where he entered so he followed that, careful not to brush any part of his body against the foliage for fear he might be discovered. When he discovered an opening in the shrubs, he carefully made a hole wide enough for his face so that he could peer through it. He saw the men in suits conversing with the being that he saw earlier, although he could not hear what they were saying. In this position, he was finally able to view the aliens that he had wanted to see all night.

They were about as tall as humans, but they possessed hands with three fingers only, and their feet appeared to have the same number of digits as well. Their lower legs were bent further back than a human's but the most distinguishing feature was that they were all masked. Their masks consisted of a large visor with a voice modulator near where the mouth was. A hood covered the back of their helmets and had a Middle Eastern quality to them, Alec noted. Their suits seemed to be a combination of a tight form fitting material and the cloth from which their hoods was composed, most likely to retain a sense of individualism within their own kind.

"Son of a bitch," Alec whispered to himself, clearly caught up in the moment. He wanted nothing more than to run out to where the aliens were talking and just talk with one, to make sure that they were real and that he wasn't dreaming. Maybe he should have them pinch him, just to be sure.

Suddenly, not fully comprehending what he was doing, Alec stood up and walked right out of the bushes, not towards the group, but towards the ship. At least he might be able to determine in his own way if this was real. Strolling into the clearing, he glanced nervously left and right, but the attention of the guards was clearly directed at the new visitors and not anywhere where he was headed. Confidence rising, Alec cleared the distance towards one of the landing struts in a few seconds to avoid detection.

But he just stood there. Alec stared at the strut, contemplating the ramifications of what this night could mean for the entire human race. Would he be known as one of the first to lay eyes on a species from another world? Would the world be able to openly communicate with them? Were there any more species like them out there? The questions came endlessly.

Alec sighed, peering up at the ship. He noted the intricate patterns the metal was shaped as, the bundles of wires that lay inside the ship. He took his time admiring the structure that traveled light-years to this very destination. He took so much time that he failed to notice the footsteps that approached him from behind.

"I would imagine it's rather impressive, isn't it?" A voice pierced Alec's ruminations and caused the man to practically jump a foot in the air, he was startled so much.

Gasping for breath, Alec faced his addressor. What greeted his sight was not a familiar human face, but a blank masked one. Alec also saw that the being that addressed him was adorned in a purple cloth that covered its head and body. This close up, he was able to discern that the visor that covered the being's head was slightly translucent and that two glowing eyes were peering at him from beyond the threshold, giving him a reference point for his eyes. He also noted that when it spoke to him, it had a distinct female voice, a voice that was quite lovely, to his standards at least. It then occurred to him that he was talking to an alien, and the alien had her hands clasped over her voice modulator.

"Oh Keelah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Alec gaped, dumbfounded at his predicament. He reasoned that he must look like a moron with his mouth hanging open. Clearing his throat and straightening his posture, he mentally checked himself before proceeding.

"That's…quite all right," Alec said with a slight laugh, "I was actually just very…focused on the ship, is all."

As first words with an extraterrestrial went, Alec had to note that the conversation was not at all proceeding like any of the movies he had seen as a child. There were no "Take me to your leader" or "Phone home" lines, there was just a simple question posed as an icebreaker. There was nothing other-worldly about that and she had been so polite too.

But his reply seemed to reassure the alien standing in front of him. She gave a slight giggle and cocked her head to the side.

"Was it what you were expecting? Meeting someone like…me?"

"To be honest, no," Alec admitted, rubbing his head, "I'm actually more surprised you're speaking English to me."

At this she laughed, the noise was like glass tinkling, simple exquisite.

"Actually, I'm not," She held up her arm, where a glowing yellowish-orange light proceeded to envelop it. The light formed a shape of a glove and Alec saw that there were buttons on it that could be manipulated by the user, a hologram.

"My omni-tool functions as a translator. We received the information on how to translate your language by intercepting your radio broadcasts. This makes it simple for us to communicate with humans like you."

Alec sheepishly glanced around, mostly to check if anyone had noticed them yet and partly to consider how technologically inferior humans now seem in the eyes of others. Truth be told, he had no idea what to expect anymore, or what the hell an "omni-tool" even was. But there was something in the alien's last sentence that caught him; he wanted to address it before he forgot about it.

"Wait, you called us 'humans' so that means you know all about us." He paused for a second before continuing, curiosity practically eating his insides, "What do we call you?"

The alien stood up straighter, perhaps intrigued by this new level of questioning. "Us? We're called quarians."

Quarians. The word barely had a chance to resonate before he fired another question.

"So, why did you choose this place? Why Danbury? Was there something important here that absolutely had to signify with the arrival of beings from other worlds?"

"I'm actually not sure about that," The quarian girl admitted, "I'm not old enough to know the particular agenda of this trip, I am only involved because of my skills as an engineer and the fact that my father is an admiral in our fleet. However, I did hear that this site was chosen because of its relative remoteness while being accessible to many major cities in the area."

Alec breathed in sharply at this news, but then he paused, processing the information. "How old are you, exactly? I know our cycles must be different compared to yours, but-"

"Actually, they're rather similar to yours. And I'm seventeen."

Despite himself, Alec perked up even more. "No kidding, I couldn't comprehend sending a seventeen-year-old on such an important trip like this. I'm only eighteen and-"

"Hey, you!"

Alec whirled around. _Shit_. He'd finally been spotted. One of the men in the suits had made the exclamation and now several officers were moving to forcibly remove him from the area. The alien girl appeared confused.

"What's going on? What happened?"

A self-depreciating sigh came from Alec, "Ah, hell. I'd wager that civilians are discouraged from interacting with you guys until it's determined to be safe." Noting her body language he continued, "It's all for the greater good, but I'm kind of impressed that I managed to last this long without being spotted."

_Damned national security._

"What will happen to you?"

Alec gave a nervous laugh, "No idea, I might be shipped out to the capital considering how many federal laws I'm breaking talking to you right now."

By this time, the officers had reached the unmoving Alec and grabbed both of his arms, leading him away from the area. Immediately, Alec's head filled with clarity, the notion that he had one final question to ask, one that would be the most important of the night.

With a sudden ferocity, he shifted his position so that he was half facing her, "What's your name?"

Understanding seemed to come across her, judging by how her head straightened at the question, "Tali. Tali'Zorah. What's yours?"

The officers were now quickening their pace in an effort to halt the conversation. It was now or never. "Alec," he said loudly. "Alec Lee."

"Quiet!" One of the officers barked. Alec was now out of view of the spaceship, but he could still hear the girl pleading to the authorities.

"Wait! What's going to happen to him? What are they going to-"

Even when Alec was escorted across the dark path, even when he was shouted at by a uniformed soldier, and even when he was unceremoniously stuffed into the back of a nondescript van, he wore a grin that stretched across his face as he understood with finality what had just happened.

_Tali. That's a nice name._


	3. Chapter 2: Grill

He wasn't annoyed at the fact that he was handcuffed. He wasn't annoyed at the fact that he'd been forcibly removed from the greatest discovery to have occurred in human history. He wasn't even annoyed when he'd been stripped in the shower room of the police station and underwent an uncomfortable "decontamination" process because he figured that the authorities would do exactly all of those things. TV did get some things right, in that regard, especially the hard scrubbing. His body still felt itchy.

What annoyed him, though, is the fact that he'd been sitting in this room for what felt like four hours. His watch was gone, taken; as was his phone so he was unable to check the time. It could have been well into the next day for all he knew.

And he was only getting more and more pissed with each passing minute.

Groaning audibly, he resigned himself to looking around the room once again. It was completely bare, save for the table in the middle of the room, to which he was handcuffed. One of the walls was obviously a two-way mirror and he was betting that someone was looking into the room right now, watching him.

Why they were watching him, he couldn't say. Were they hoping that he'd crack? But why would he crack? He had nothing to hide. He knew what he did. Maybe they just wanted him to scream for interaction, a person, someone. He hadn't resigned himself to such a state, although he had, for the past hour, been insulting the authorities under his breath.

Christ, the monotony was so _irritating_. Hadn't he sweated enough for the simple act of talking to someone?

As if in answer to his prayers, the door suddenly swung open, but any elation he had at seeing another human quickly vanished when he saw that a man, no rank displayed, swiftly grabbed a chair and sat across from him. The man produced a file, which was rather thin, and placed it between them.

"Mr. Lee," the man started, "I'm with the CIA."

"You the good cop or bad cop?" Alec interrupted. As long as he was here, he decided that he was going to play nice, but they were also going to have to put up with a bit of attitude as well. Nothing illegal about that.

"You trying to be funny, son?

"Trying to understand why you assholes kept me in this room for so fucking long. I'm fairly certain that you didn't have anything better to do."

The man frowned, he was clearly getting affected by the lip on him. Alec smirked at this tell and leaned forward.

"You going to tell me what it is I'm in here for? Or am I going to have to holler for a lawyer and we will see how well that plays out once this story is blown out of proportion to the public?"

The man said nothing for the longest time. Finally, he opened the file in front of him and started to speak.

"You are here specifically because you have trespassed upon a site of federal importance and interacted with a species not native to this planet."

"Oh, I didn't know that last one was illegal," Alec moaned theatrically, "I must have dozed off during that little tidbit in my law class."

The man's face was a blank mask, "You were brought here in case they were carrying a deadly airborne particle of some kind, be it a bacteria or a retrovirus or so forth. Did you have any idea of these beings' intentions before you stumbled into that field like a jackass?"

Alec leaned back slowly, clasping his hands together, "I thought that was _your_ job."

An uncomfortable silence passed before Alec waved his hand dismissively, "Don't bother, it's clear that the _quarians_," He stressed the use of their name, "Most likely had a more altruistic agenda. If they had released a deadly pathogen you would have known by now. Besides, I did not approach any of them intentionally. One came to me and initiated a conversation, very politely, I might add. Seeing as it was her first time coming into contact with a human, I thought I'd be chivalrous and respond to her questions. Now, answer _my_ question. Are you going to do anything or am I free to go?"

The agent paused a bit and studied the young man seated in front of him. "Son," he began, "You're not going to be charged with anything. The President has already been briefed on the situation and he's monumentally upset at the breach in security on this issue. Quite honestly, it makes us look like idiots. But if we choose to prosecute you, there is no real precedent for a situation like this in court and there would be significant popular support on your end in this case."

Standing up, the man produced a key from his sleeve and in a deft motion, unlocked the cuffs on Alec's wrists. Alec flexed his fingers and rubbed the sore spots on his arms where prolonged contact with the cold metal had been made.

The man continued, "We request, of course, that you do not speak of this incident to all persons who were unaware that you were in the vicinity of the ship at the time. You understand, I hope?"

Alec shot a nasty glare at the man, "Yeah, I don't think anyone would believe me if I said that I talked to aliens anyway."

Giving the faint hint of a smile, the man turned to leave but when he reached the door he shifted his body to face Alec again, "For the rather weighted punishment that you have endured for indulging in what can only be assumed as 'natural curiosity,' the government of the United States is prepared to offer you an incentive in exchange for your cooperation."

"Incentive, huh?" Alec laughed, "If I refuse to speak about this incident to all persons who were unaware of my activity, is that about right?"

"That's precisely it, Mr. Lee. I might add, it is a rather magnanimous offer."

Alec, never keeping his eyes off the man, tilted his head in one direction until the loud snapping of cartilage echoed throughout the confined room, then proceeded to tilt his head to the other side and repeat the process. This task done, he leaned forward, putting both palms flat on the table.

"All right. I'm listening."

* * *

Five Years Later

The alarm blared, tuned in to the internet radio feed. Alec Lee awoke with a start, sweeping off the covers of the bed. Cursing, he staggered across to the nearby desk and slammed his hand down on the clock, ceasing the maddening noise that had roused him from his slumber.

Squinting in the light, he discovered that he had slept through his first alarm and that he only had fifty minutes to get to work. Sighing, he immediately gathered his clothes for the day and made a beeline for the bathroom for his daily ritual of a shower before breakfast. Ten minutes later, he walked out, hair combed, cologne applied, and he started to head downstairs to fix his breakfast.

He reached into his pocket for his phone, only to realize it wasn't there so he backtracked to his room where he found it on the stool beside his bed, all charged and ready for the day ahead. Approaching the stairs once again, he stole a glance at the room adjacent from his. The room also contained a bed, much larger than his own, in a room that was also impressive in its size compared to what he lived in.

The room had belonged to his parents, as did the house once. They had moved out to follow his father's job back in California and they had left the house to him. Everything was all paid in full and all Alec had to do was pay for the utilities every month; not a problem with the paycheck he was receiving. The house itself was impressive, even for Danbury standards. It stood three stories high with a two car garage. It was positioned on a hill at the end of a cul-de-sac, which made Alec feel very superior as he was able to look down on anyone who was visiting his humble abode. The top floor contained four bedrooms. One that his parents had occupied, a guest room, Alec's brother's room, who visited occasionally, and his own. To him, it was a bit awkward using the room that his parents had occupied for all the time he had lived in the house, so he had simply settled for his old room. Besides, he was attached to this room and it was more than adequate for the needs he had appropriated it for.

Walking downstairs he passed the entrances for the office and dining room, both on either side of him. They went unnoticed as he proceeded straight, into the kitchen. Beyond the kitchen was the media room, where he had set up the television and computer whenever he wanted to waste hours at a time sitting at a screen.

Opening the fridge, he noticed that he was low on orange juice. Frowning, he proceeded to open the door to the basement, where a second fridge was located that stored the overstock. The basement took up the entire full bottom of the house, where there was a door that led into the garage. At the moment, both bays were occupied. Alec's Shadow Sabre bike was standing proudly in the middle of the floor, still shining like new since the day he bought it. The other part of the garage was occupied by Alec's Honda CR-V, which was old but still reliable, despite the fact that it was fifteen years past its prime. Alec loved the car though and devoted careful attention to it each month and ensured that it stayed in perfect condition, at least as perfect as it could be.

Opening the fridge, he grabbed the carton of juice and walked back up to the kitchen. Placing a bowl out from the cupboard, he reached across to grab his Windows Tablet and flicked the app for CNN. The reporter's voice filled the air of the room as Alec prepared his breakfast.

"_-reports from I-684 as a two mile section of the highway was closed down last night after an unfortunate encounter with a rapist, victim Janet Miller was able to free herself and subsequently severely injured her attacker before running off to safety. Police shut down the highway in order to locate the man's organ, which was severed during the assault."_

Alec chuckled, despite the violent nature depicted on the screen. Sometimes, a little street justice works miracles.

"_And finally, the fifth year anniversary of First Contact with the quarian race begins tomorrow, when they appeared out of nowhere and shattered every misconception that we had about life on other planets. Since their arrival, they have been working hard at integrating themselves into our society. We see them now, working with engineers, working with designers, working with inventors, working to help further our society along paths we never could have dreamed."_

Pictures were now being presented in a slideshow of all of the materials invented in the last five years thanks to quarian "intervention." It was a truly remarkable list: synthetic biofuel, interactive holograms, advances in AI technology, the list went on.

"_Sadly, we regret to report that the passing of one Haer'Norah vas Rykvai last night in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Police say that they quarian was ambushed by a gang operating in the area and was murdered behind the local Y. This is the fourth quarian gang-related death reported this year and it looks like-"_

Alec angrily swiped his fingers across the screen, shutting off the news feed. It was unbelievable. The greatest event in the history of mankind and mankind only seemed to be trying to take that event back. Everything had changed since that night, the night that Alec saw them. Religions crumbled practically overnight, new ones rose to take their places. People who lost their faith soon became specters of vengeance. Just last year, a woman was arrested for trying to bomb the quarian housing complex down the highway. Whatever for? They did nothing wrong. The woman was declared mentally incompetent and resigned to a psychiatric facility anyway, after previously having hosted a well-to-do life that was heavily steeped in Baptism.

Engrossed in his thoughts, Alec quickly downed his coffee, resulting in him coughing from it having gone down the wrong pipe. Cleaning up the aftermath, he gathered his materials for the day before heading down to the garage. The motorcycle was fun, sure, but ultimately cars are considered a more acceptable means of transportation function-wise and image-wise. He unlocked the CR-V and backed out of the driveway.

Driving on the 84, Alec checked his watch. It read 8:30. This was good. Alec always enjoyed arriving early to work. It saved him the stress of having to rush to his snug cubicle and fret about his poor conduct. It just made sense to him and he was perfectly content in his own little world. Taking the appropriate exit, Alec approached the gate, past the sign that read UTC Aerospace Systems.

As one of the world's biggest technology conglomerates, UTC was the bargaining chip in Alec's deal with the United States government. For four years, he kept his mouth shut about the ordeal. He never mentioned to a single person what he had seen that night. He was allowed to talk to Anthony about it, only because he had been picked up by the agents before Alec. However, whenever the two of them were together, they never discussed it. Never brought up the subject. Both of them were perhaps too puzzled or scared to fully discuss the matter with anyone else. And no one suspected them of anything.

Four years later, Alec was walking off the podium at the University of Pennsylvania, when he'd immediately been approached by a man he'd thought he'd never see again.

"_Mr. Lee, I understand it's been some time."_

"_Why are you here, CIA?"_

"_To make good on our deal," Smiling, the man handed him an envelope and quickly loped off into the undulating crowd._

_Opening the envelope, Alec saw the logo for UTC and various information packets. It was the job offer he'd been promised. The bastard had made good on his deal after all._

"Mr. Lee?"

Shaking his head, he turned back toward the gate guard, "Sorry about that, Richard. Got a little distracted, is all."

The guard smiled good-naturedly, "No problem, Mr. Lee. Have a good day."

The gate opening, Alec drove his Honda up the ramp.


	4. Chapter 3: Normalcy Shattered

Having parked in employee spot #33, Alec purposefully walked through the front doors towards his office. As usual, he was greeted by the cheerful receptionist (to which he always responded, just as nicely) on his way to the elevator. Pushing the button "3," he moved out of the elevator and sat down in his cubicle, ready to begin the day anew.

Alec was a task manager for the Supply Chain division of UTC's Aerospace Systems. The bulk of his work was made up of requisitioning items for the gearheads in the engineering bay next door to bang hammers on in the hopes they could belt out a product to sell to either the public, or potentially the military.

Naturally, the business and engineering divisions do not generally get along, especially within a huge company such as UTC. The engineering people tend to think of the business arm as tweedy, unreasonable pricks, while the business employees consider the engineers to be temperamental, and indecisive. It was a common routine for both divisions to be furious at each other, which is where Alec usually had to step in.

During his tenure at UPenn, Alec had the foresight, and a recommendation from a higher power, to enroll in several engineering courses on top of his courses for his major. When he arrived at his job for the first day, he found several of the mechanics and a few of the bean-counters nearly coming to blows over a misallocation of resources for their most current project. Alec, knowing the technical terminology, managed to talk down the engineers and figured out exactly what they wanted in terms of parts and the amount of time that they be given to complete their project. Within moments, Alec was granted control of the project's resources and the engineers finished in record time.

This is why all of the engineers would talk to Alec and Alec alone most of the time. They all liked him. Alec, in turn, liked the attention he got from the group, and he would frequently accompany them on weekends to the local pub (whereupon he would promptly lose in any drinking game that started). It was an elite group that few outsiders got to experience.

Booting up his computer, he noticed on his email account that he had been hailed by his boss, Mike Reese. Alec liked Mike a lot. He was an informal guy who dressed casually and encouraged his employees to do the same, albeit without much success. He was very good-natured and employees under his watchful eye were frequently successful and enjoyed a stable working environment.

Right now, Mike was requesting Alec to meet him in twenty minutes. There was no other information given. Alec arched an eyebrow at this. Usually Mike was very forthcoming in his messages, something was different here. He didn't think that they were letting him go, he'd been far too successful for such an ignominious end. Plus he didn't think that the government would go to that much trouble to get him a job for him to abruptly lose it to circumstances beyond his control. No, he decided, this was something else.

A quick glance at the clock told him that seventeen minutes had passed, so he rose from his desk and walked along the carpeted floor to Mike's office. Mike Reese was facing his computer when he approached the door, so he rapped on the door politely to get his attention.

"Alec!" Mike beamed, "Just the man I wanted to see."

So Mike was clearly happy. This was good news.

"I got your message," Alec said as he sat down across from his boss, "What's up, Mike?"

Mike was still smiling as he finished turning to face his visitor, "I've been reviewing the progress reports and I have some news for you. How would you like to run your own procurement team?"

Mike had given Alec little preparation for this sort of news. "That's fantastic, Mike! You know I would love such an opportunity, but I thought that such a position could only be appointed after two years of work."

"Ah, to hell with that," Mike jostled, "You've been here more than a year and already you've improved my output by a sizable margin. Also, you're able to actually hold a friggin' discussion with those engineers. Fucking bastards can't even look me in the eye when I ask them if the brake control systems have been finalized. Don't even get me started on what they do in their spare time, utterly disgraceful."

Mike continued to rant for a bit before realizing what he was doing. "Um, anyway. You. You're the man for the job. I count on you to be doing serious shit every day while I get all these babies on task," he jerked a thumb out towards his window. "They can't even process a fuckin' SAP sheet without crying to me for help. Figured that this could alleviate the load a bit."

Alec laughed lightly. He put up with his boss's ravings because he genuinely liked the man, even if could be a bit abrasive at times. Meanwhile, Mike was detailing the duties of his new assignment.

"Now, you'll get your own private room, none of those fuckin' cubes for you anymore. I got a doozy of an assignment for you right out of the gate. The cabin pressurization systems for the new Boeings are being developed and the engineers can't communicate their shit to me in a way that I can comprehend. Also, those electronic flight bags are giving the tech team a fuckin' migraine. It's like they're trying to mix up the OS's but they're all using Macs, and I can't work on a fuckin' Mac. I trust that you can handle them both right off the bat?"

Alec smiled back at Mike. He always relished a good challenge, it put his mind at ease and gave him a purpose that would last a few weeks before moving on to the next big assignment. "That sounds just fine, Mike."

Mike returned the smile. He leaned forward and offered his hand, "Congratulations, team manager." He leaned back in his chair before bolting upright.

"Christ, I almost forgot. We have someone new on the staff, they're working in engineering now. I promised management that I would get someone personable to lead them through the ropes. That automatically excludes the entire engineering team, wouldn't you know? Anyway, I was hoping that you could take the time out of your schedule this week to show them around."

Alec started, "Mike, I may be able to understand engineering but that doesn't mean I can actually perform it. What good could I possibly do in this case?"

Mike gave a grim smile, "Because this particular person is a quarian."

It all made sense now. "Ah," Alec nodded.

"In this case, you don't have to show them any mechanical procedures, just the general chain of command and so on and so forth. You can imagine, it would be pretty bad for one of those perverts down in one of those bays showing this person around without the showmanship to convey the best of humanity. That's why he's here for…let's see here," Mike rummaged through the stack of papers on his desk. "Um…six months. Some sort of cyclic program in which they integrate with human manufacturing to 'further our capabilities' or some shit like that. Point is, you're better with people than the idiots on the floor so you can show 'em around."

Alec paused for a moment, there was still one piece of information that was needed, "Do you have a name for the quarian?"

Mike threw up his hands, "I asked the fucker running comm duty that very same question! The idiot manning the desk couldn't even pronounce it so I just gave up. You'd probably get it from someone else that speaks actual English down there, or you could just introduce yourself, the old fashioned way."

Alec stood, preparing to go. "I got you, Mike, I'll let you know what's what down there."

As he was headed out the door, he heard his boss yell, "And tell those fuckers down there that I know who put Mentos in my Coke and I'm not fucking happy about it!"

* * *

Stepping out into the bay gave Alec a thrill each time. Truth be told, it was straight out of science fiction what they did for a living. They built parts for various airplanes across the globe, mostly the stuff responsible for helping the pilots not crash the thing into the side of a mountain. Although, considering recent circumstances, it wouldn't be long before the industry would switch to alternate means of transportation, what with the recent developments in space technology and all.

Reaching the middle of the bay, Alec spied a group of engineers poring over what looked like a thermal control system for a jumbo jet. He coughed loudly and the group jumped.

"Alec!" One of the engineers exclaimed, "What brings you down here with the rest of us dogs?"

Alec smiled sadly, "Business, unfortunately. I was told that a quarian had recently been assigned here. Do you know where he is?"

"Fuck no, man. No one tells me anything around here."

"Wait," another engineer butted in, "We have a quarian here now? Sweet. Where can I introduce myself?"

"Fuck introduction, I've never even _seen_ one."

"Everyone be quiet," Alec ordered, "Is there someone manning the tech deck right now?"

"Oh yeah, Gavin's on it." Came the quick reply.

"That's all I needed to know for now, gentlemen," performing an immediate 180, Alec hustled along the bay until he found the hapless soul sitting in front of several monitors, chugging a Coke and, rather suspiciously, toying with a stick of Mentos in his other hand.

"You were easier to find than I expected," Alec announced.

Gavin immediately snorted Coke out of his nose and started making an awful clamor of coughing and gagging.

"You utter wanker," Gavin snarled, "How did you find me?"

"Practice," came the smooth reply, "I was told that a quarian was assigned here today, do you know where I can find him?"

"Him?" Gavin said, confused, "Well, a quarian arrived today but it sure as hell isn't a _him_. Who said that?"

"You were the one who reported the information!"

"Well, I never said it was a him!"

"You never said anything at all, I still don't even have a name for this woman!"

"I got it right here," Gavin claimed, "It was something like Tammy or Theresa…"

Alec was incredulous, "Gavin, you're my friend and all, but in all seriousness, if you don't come up with a name in the next five seconds I'm going up to Mike and letting him know that it was you who sabotaged all of his Coke cans with Mentos."

"Here! Here!" Gavin exclaimed, "I've got it here! Hold on a minute….name's Tali'Zorah."

If Gavin had been looking at Alec when he mentioned the name, he would have noticed that his friend stiffened extremely to the information. It was just Alec's luck that Gavin was completely clueless in this sort of environment.

"Um…thanks Gavin." Alec replied hastily, "That's...what I was looking for."

Before Gavin could respond, Alec rushed out the door and towards the corner of the bay where Mike had mentioned the quarian had set up shop. A billion thoughts were racing through his head. This situation just got a lot more complex. How would he react upon seeing her again? Would she remember him? Could she comprehend that for every day for the last five years the only thing he was able to see was her?

All of these jumbled thoughts faded abruptly when Alec approached the cordoned off area. He rounded the corner and saw no one. There was the faint tinkling of tools but there was no one to be seen.

"Hello?" Alec asked, "Anyone here?"

Approaching carefully, he made his way around what looked like a disassembled engine, for a Grumman fighter, if he recalled correctly. Spinning around, he scratched his head. She wasn't here, so where was she?

"Oh, hello! Could you hand me that tool kit while you're up there?" came the voice that he had remembered for all those years, but it was coming from below him…

For the second time since they had talked, Alec once again was so startled he jumped up, but this time he crashed into a table full of spare parts, sending them scattering to the floor. Trying to control his blushing, he could hear the cackle of the engineers laughing at the mess he just created. So much for being "in" with the crowd.

A rolling sound was then added to the din and Alec realized that she'd been working _underneath_ the engine the whole time, as evidenced by the wheeled pallet he saw that she'd commandeered for the task. The one place he'd forgotten to look. Desperate to save face, he scrambled to come up with a witty line until she beat him to the punch.

"For all the humans I've met, you seem to be the most jumpy."

Again she had demonstrated to Alec that she was quite observant in her surroundings. And again, Alec had completely underestimated her.

"I would hope that it would be a fleeting habit," Alec managed to counter as smoothly as he could manage. He held out his hand, instinctively, "It's nice to meet you, formally at least. I'm-"

"Oh, I know who you are, Alec Lee," she breathed, taking the offered hand, "I wouldn't go so far as to forget the first human I've ever met."

Alec smiled in response, oddly enjoying the grip of her three digits against his five, "And I wouldn't be so trivial as to forget the first quarian _I've_ ever met, Tali'Zorah."

Despite the mask, purple glow and all, Alec could sense that she was smiling in earnest.

* * *

In the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, the quarian Zola'Grava was strolling down the main street at night. The hour was late, but he had to stay behind at the plant to further calibrate the sensitive machinery that he was currently working on. The bus did not run at this time, but he didn't mind walking. The housing development was only a mile down the road, surely a little exercise couldn't kill him.

Auditory receptors picked up a noise from the alley ahead, Zola instinctively moved towards the street at the sound at cautiously peeked around the bend.

A cat merely sauntered out, taking the time to shake themselves off of the dust it had accumulated in the alley before scampering off into the night.

Zola huffed at his sudden bout of fear. There was nothing to be afraid of on this planet, why would such a cute little creature inspire such fear in him?

Just then the rustling sound was back, but this time it sounded like it was coming from _behind_ him. He turned to face the source of the sound and was rewarded with a blow to the face, followed by the contact of the pavement rushing up to meet him.

When he awoke, it felt like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer. The first thing he noticed was that his visor was cracked. An internal scan showed no breaches but you could never be too careful when a crack meant life or death for his people.

He attempted to stand but found that his hands and legs were bound with some kind of rope. No matter how much he twisted, he could not loosen his bonds. He was stuck.

He frantically glanced around the room, looking for some clue as to where he was. The room he was in was filthy, there was dirt and grime on the floor, the ceiling was unfinished, pipes and exposed wires ran along it. The walls were caked in something unintelligible and occasionally, a pipe would protrude from the wall to give the appearance of an industrial setting.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Zola had to squint against the outflow of light pouring from behind the man who entered the room. The figure stood atop him for a second before kneeling down to address him.

"Look at me, filth." Zola complied, and was curious to see that his captor was human. The human was muscular, dressed in jeans and a dark tank top, but the most distinguishing feature on the man was his shoulder length hair and equally impressive beard.

"Do you now see?" The man inquired.

"See what? I don't understand," Zola pleaded, his breaths coming in frightened gasps.

"The light of the Lord," the man said simply.

"The wha- ugh!" Zola managed before a huge fist slammed into his abdomen. Immediately, all of the wind was knocked out of Zola'Grava and he struggled to draw his next breath.

"God has spoken," the man said, unwrapping a package that had appeared in his arms a second ago. "God has spoken, and He has declared you unworthy."

"Unworthy?" Zola inquired, "Unworthy of what? Please, I don't understand. Why are you –aaagghh!"

The man had fully unwrapped his package to reveal a wicked-looking knife, with the blade shining sinisterly from the light that the man eclipsed, the blade was driven into the quarian's shoulder, where it stayed for a minute before the man grunted and pulled the knife out, eliciting another scream from the quarian.

"God would not have made such creatures that were unable to bask in his Eden. Unable to breathe our air for it will kill them all. Such folly, God would never have made such a mistake."

Zola was now worried, the knife had punctured his suit and the wound was too large for the auto-sealing failsafe to correct. It was a certainty, that from his exposure to the poor quality of this air that he would die, though he suspected that the knife would finish him long before his sickness would.

Gazing down at the now coughing quarian, the large man nodded, satisfied at his work. Turning Zola over, he gazed into the glowing eyes of his captive.

"Fall…demon," he spat. With savage force, the man plunged the knife into the neck of the quarian, the coughing quickly became a wet sputter, the inside of the visor was now splattered with blood as Zola'Grava retched. The wound spurted fiercely, covering both man and quarian with sticky, hot, blood. After a few seconds, the torrent subsided, the bleeding slowed, and Zola'Grava was merely a shell on the floor.

The man motioned to someone outside the room and left to clean himself up.


	5. Chapter 4: Bars and Bikes

Alec's eyes snapped open. He was staring up at the ceiling, lying on his back. He slowly drew himself up and off the bed. Looking to the side, he saw that it was ten in the morning. He yawned in the emptiness of his room. The weekend was for relaxing, after all.

Downstairs, he started his morning with breakfast and the news. The reporter on the screen was droning on about the fifth anniversary of First Contact, relaying once again the significance of the date. Ignoring the broadcast, Alec was more preoccupied in his thoughts at what had transpired yesterday.

After introducing himself yet again to Tali, Alec had made an effort to show the quarian woman around the premises, but she apparently had already done that earlier, as evidenced by the progress she had made on the engine thus far. Impressed, Alec had asked her if he needed any help, that she just call him. Both then exchanged their contact information, the omni-tools had the capability to tap into the cell network and certain employees in UTC had access to special phones that enabled them to communicate with omni-tools in the first place. It was one of the first inventions offered by the quarians during their visit and a piece of technology that Alec, being a team leader, could now possess.

Tali'Zorah. He still couldn't believe it. After five long years, fate had somehow crossed their paths once again, from meeting her that one night in the middle of a park to the facility where he worked for a living. It was almost as if…

He quickly pushed the intruding thought out of his head. _Nah, surely not. Get a grip on yourself, man. She's only here to help._

Shaking his head in anger, he walked over to the computer he had set up in the office. Booting it up, he quickly checked his email and prepared to write down his consultancy report that Mike had assigned him.

Before he did that, he moved the mouse icon over the search bar and looked up the website for Wikipedia. Once the page showed, he typed in "quarian" and read the wall of text that skimmed down the screen.

Most of what he already knew about quarians came from reports such as the news. With the first few days of First Contact, scientists had been working fervently on trying to classify their alien guests. With the cooperation of the quarians, several scientific journals were immediately published and brought onto the public record to help the world understand more about them.

Quarians, as it turned out, did not contain the same amino acids that humans did. Whereas human were primarily levo based, the quarians were dextro. The quarians had assured the humans that they were not the only dextro based lifeforms out there, most likely prompting a slew of new questions, but this development meant that they were unable to eat food based on Earth. The quarians assured the humans that this was not a problem as their food was both compact and filling and that their ships carried enough stores to last for years. Ever since then, a resupply ship had routinely appeared over Danbury every six months to top off their necessities, which were then unloaded and brought into the communities.

The reason why quarians wore their distinctive suits is because they were primarily a space-faring species. They had remained like this ever since they were kicked off their homeworld, Rannoch, following an uprising by A.I. platforms they dubbed the "geth." Spending centuries in space only degrades the immune system over time and eventually to survive, the quarians had to adopt the suits as the only means for them to stay alive.

This was not so serious as it was made out to be. Quarians, by their nature, are rather hardy compared to humans. They were shown to have a higher pain tolerance, an affinity for technology, and were incredibly adaptable in any environment.

And if the articles were to be believed, they were also very similar in terms of facial appearances compared to humans. The article even claimed that they had hair, which was described to be silver. It sounded enthralling to him, but the article mentioned that these discoveries were carried out in a sterile environment for the quarians' own safety and that they couldn't publish images of them as a matter of national security. So the likelihood of an average human ever seeing a quarian face was close to nil at this point.

Reading the page, Alec couldn't help but admire the quarians for what they were. Here was a race that had mastered space flight and they were here now, on Earth, helping us to achieve that goal as well. It was all so _noble_ and yet he still didn't exactly know what they hoped to achieve by "uplifting" us to their status.

Closing the tab, he figured that was a question that could be left to someone who gave a crap more than he did. In any case, it was time to get to work.

The phone rang across the hall, eager to get answered. Alec, still in his desk, ignored it. Despite the recent advances in technology, they still couldn't get caller ID to the receiver quickly enough for him to care.

"Call from Gavin May," squawked the phone.

His cue to get up, Alec walked over to the counter and pressed the Talk button, "Gavin? What's going on?"

"Look mate, the lads and I are getting together at Rosy's later tonight, you want to join us?"

Alec paused for a moment. He would be inside the house all day and it would do him some good to get out and about with a few friends after the inevitable monotony of the day's work. "Sure, what time did you have in mind?"

* * *

The Shadow Sabre rumbled as it crawled down the hill to where the bar Rosy Tomorrow's sat. Rosy's was, for all intents and purposes, a pub. But it was a pub that had damn fine food and served decent beer on tap. Alec had been sitting in a chair all day and needed a drink, but reminded himself to not to engage anyone in any drinking games if he wanted to keep his pride for the night...and his ability to make it home alive.

Flicking off the engine and removing his helmet, Alec entered the noisy establishment. The hostess, recognizing him, gestured to the bar. The room was situated in which the bar was a little bit lower than normal, but this was to compensate for the fact that a stage had been set up above it for the purposes of live entertainment. There was no one playing tonight, or at least this moment, and Alec quickly scanned the room for any familiar faces. He was rewarded when he saw Gavin, grinning like an idiot over what appeared to be a bowl filled with something alcoholic. This did not look good. If Gavin was drunk already then the night was practically over. Ten more minutes and he would be deadweight, at this point.

"I take it that's the special for tonight?" Alec asked, warily.

"Damn right it is!" Gavin replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. Alec wondered how long he'd been here.

"Who else is here?" Alec gestured to the bartender who proceeded to fill a glass with Guinness.

"Do I count?" A voice answered in lieu of Gavin's. Alec turned around and saw Anthony Wyatt's smiling face. He was quickly pulled in for a bear hug as his drink was swiftly set in front of him.

"I didn't know you were in town!" Alec exclaimed, "Is there anyone else here that I've missed?"

As if the magic words had been spoken, a finger tapped Alec on the shoulder, causing him to turn around, again, to face two young women who he hadn't seen for a long time.

Smiling, Alec embraced both Heather and Nicole at the same time. "This day just keeps on getting better and better."

Gavin, at those words, hoisted his fishbowl of a drink, "Amen to that. Now, I do seem to recall that there was a special for Fireball shots tonight…"

* * *

Fortunately, Alec had passed on the subsequent shot slamming competition that Gavin had hastily organized after the first round. Looking around, he saw the results of how that turned out. Gavin had his head on the table, snoozing loudly. Anthony was swaying noticeably, a cup of coffee trembling in one hand. Heather was down on the floor, clutching her head in pain. Nicole, characteristically, was grimacing at the three idiots and the only sober person in the room.

"Good thing I drove," she laughed, basking in the pain of the three idiots in front of her.

Alec, nursing a gin and tonic, nodded, "Would you believe me if I predicted this was going to happen?"

Nicole piped up instantly, "Yes. I would." Checking her watch, she abruptly stood up, "Seeing as it's one in the morning, I should probably cart these debutantes out to the car, I have to get to the city early tomorrow anyway…or I should say, later this morning?"

Alec stood to match her, "I'll help carry this one," pointing at Gavin. "Out to the car. I'll stay here for a bit because I'm still a bit wobbly. But I'll be sure to call you guys later this week."

After throwing Gavin unceremoniously into the trunk of Nicole's van, he waved goodbye to his friends and walked back into the bar, his drink still waiting, half full.

Despite how late it was, a guitarist was sitting atop the stage, drunkenly slurring his words as patrons kept on passing him tips. He suspected that it was all going to the bottles of Stella lying around his guitar case.

Even though the music was terrible, he caught himself humming along to the tune as it was a Gaelic band that he recognized and was quite popular some years back. He let his eyes wander around the establishment, looking for some stimuli to draw his attention until he felt sober enough to drive.

He saw a fat man, laughing along with his wife or girlfriend, trying to talk over the loud speakers projecting the mangled words. There was a lady in her forties next to him, smoking a cigarette, lost in a hazy cloud of smog and booze. In the corner there was…

_Son of a bitch. It can't be._

In a dark corner on one of the high chairs, a leg atop the other, bouncing happily to the rhythm, sat a figure draped in purple, clutching a tube of what appeared to be a drink.

Tali'Zorah.

Alec stared in disbelief. _How long had she been here?_ He mentally kicked himself for not noticing sooner. For a moment he sat there, unsure of what to do. Should he go over there and try to start a conversation? Was it okay to do that here? He'd never seen a quarian in a place like this before so he wasn't sure if there was a precedent for this kind of behavior.

Sitting determinedly, Alec took a long gulp of his drink. No time to reflect on it now, his mind was made up. Pushing the drink to the side, he hopped off of his stool and walked over to where Tali sat. She seemed to be enjoying herself, her body was moving slightly to the plucked chords of the guitar. It was quite possible she didn't even know that the singing was so bad.

When he got within a few feet of her, her visor shifted so it was now facing him. Stiffening upright, she held her hand up in greeting, "Hello, Alec! I didn't expect to see you here."

Why was it that it gave him a thrill each time she said his name? Was it because she was trying to be as courteous as possible when greeting another species or perhaps something else?

"Hey, Tali!" Alec responded warmly, ignoring his current train of thought. "I'm more surprised to see you here. I didn't think quarians liked going into bars."

Tali giggled, _goddamn that sound is intoxicating_, "It isn't common, yes, but I enjoy the music here. Plus I like watching the people. It's all so _fascinating_, isn't it?"

He shrugged, "I suppose it's something I've been taking for granted, but I understand your position. This whole place must seem so…alien to you, for lack of a better word."

Tali shifted positions on the small table so that she was leaning towards him, "Yes it is, but I always love experiencing places I've never been to before and I quite like the music here." She waved her hand towards the guitarist, who was now substituting his own lyrics, ruining the song even more.

Trying to suppress a laugh, Alec responded, "Well, there are other genres of music out there. Do you happen to like this one?"

"I love all sorts of music," Tali sighed, "It's one of the few things that we didn't have much on the Flotilla, not many people were devoted to it. Now, whenever I hear a song, I always want to listen."

He had now noticed during this conversation that, despite her perfect pronunciation of the English language, there was still the faintest hint of an accent that seeped through the translator whenever she sounded a word with the letter "r," in which there was the slight rolling of the tongue that accompanied it. It was such a unique and beautiful accent, Alec noted.

Wanting to hear more, he pointed at her tube that she was clutching, "And that? I didn't think that the bars stocked dextro alcohol during this time."

She giggled and hiccupped slightly, "They don't. I brought this from the complex, it's actually a type of turian brandy. I made sure to filter it before coming over here."

"And how exactly do you get drunk? I wouldn't think that you'd just take off the visor and-"

Without missing a beat, Tali produced a straw and proceeded to insert it into a slot near the bottom of her voice modulator. "Any more questions?" she said teasingly.

Taking a moment to give her a once-over, spotting her tiny sway of her body he answered, "I don't suppose you have any way of getting home do you? The buses don't run at this hour and the complex is most likely locked down at this point."

Tali clasped a hand to where her mouth was, "Keelah, I never thought of that. That was foolish of me, staying up this late, now I don't know what to do…"

Without even thinking, without even processing the ramifications of his words, he blurted, "You could always come home with me, if you want." _Wait...WHAT?_

Tali jerked his way, "Oh no, I couldn't possibly do that. I would hate to be a burden on you, I suppose I could find a hotel somewhere and-"

It was too late to backtrack now, "Nonsense, Tali. You don't need to waste your money. I have a vehicle outside and my house is only five minutes away. I could take you back, you could spend the night and I'd be able to drop you off at the compound in the morning."

Tali hardly moved, clearly reluctant at this new information. With a self-depreciating sigh she said, "All right, but I still feel very guilty for doing this. I will do everything in my power to repay you."

Alec, chuckling, held up a hand, "You owe me nothing, Tali. This one's on me. Think of it as a favor between friends." _Motherfucker, why did you have to say "friends?" You haven't even known her that long, you moron._

If Tali noticed Alec's slip of the tongue, she didn't visibly react. Standing up, she looked around one last time at the bar. "Well, I'm ready to leave now if you are."

Alec nodded and started towards the door before suddenly halting, "Um…Tali, I should have warned you beforehand, but-"

* * *

"Oh Keelah!" Tali practically screamed as the Honda motorcycle shot through the unlit street.

Alec had made a point to drive the speed limit exactly for once, but with all of the wind blowing and the feeling of not being in control of what amounted to an engine block on wheels, it wouldn't have made any difference to comfort the poor, frightened girl in the back.

On the plus side, as soon as Alec had started the motor, Tali had instantly wrapped her limber arms around his waist to keep herself from falling off. _Keep it cool, asshole_. He told himself. _What did you expect?_

Two minutes later, they were within sight of the house where the garage door promptly opened and Alec wheeled his bike inside. Tali was still frozen on the edge of the seat and Alec reluctantly pried her hands from around his waist.

"We're here, Tali."

The quarian was still shaking from the encounter, "I prefer your cars better."

Alec hung his head sheepishly, "I know. I completely forgot that I had brought that along. My mistake."

Unlocking the door, they both stepped inside the threshold. Tali was completely immersed in the size of the basement, turning her body in all directions.

"You live here?" She said incredulously.

Alec nodded, as nonchalantly as he could.

She seemed to be at a loss for words, "But, it's…so big. I mean, I've never even had my own room before, I've always had to share it with someone and you have…"

They had climbed the steps to the kitchen as she was marveling. Alec was now starting to feel slightly embarrassed about her curiosity. He had never considered himself poor before, he'd inherited the house and worked hard to keep it clean. He had never once met anyone who had to live in accommodations smaller than the dormitory that he'd appropriated while in college. The thought made him sad.

Passing into the office, Tali was notably poring over the television and computer sets that Alec had set up in the room. He suspected she was admiring at how archaic the technology seemed. Fortunately, she didn't say anything to corroborate his hypothesis so he managed to keep some dignity there.

Nodding once, she walked over to the nearby couch and laid down. Alec, confused, approached her.

"What are you doing?"

She slowly rolled over to face him, "I thought I was going to sleep. Is there something wrong?"

Alec, surprised, gave a small laugh, "No, Tali. Nothing's wrong, I was just puzzled as to why you would want to sleep on the couch."

Tali perked her head up, "This room is sufficient enough, I will be fine."

Mentally shaking his head, Alec stared. The girl didn't even think she was worthy enough to receive a decent night's rest. The couch wasn't even that comfortable anyway. Reaching down, he clasped her hand (savoring the feel of her gloved hand against his skin) and slowly pulled her to her feet.

"If I'm going to let a guest in my own house sleep on that ratty couch, I'll never forgive myself. Come on."

Alec, ignoring the protesting Tali, led her through the hallway and up the stairs where he opened the door to the guest room. Inside lay a queen-size bed with a fluffy mattress and extra soft pillows.

Tali, seeing what was being offered to her, shook her head, "Alec, I couldn't possibly-"

Alec placed both hands on her shoulders, cutting her off, "I'm going to have to stop you there Tali. You don't deserve to sleep in the office; you're a guest in my house. Guests sleep in this room where they can be comfortable." At this, Tali's head was shifting in the direction of the bed. He continued on, "At the very least, speaking as a friend, I would like it if you would sleep here tonight."

There it went. He had said "friend" again. What was it about her that caused him to lose his verbal filter every time he tried speak? _Goddamn it._

However, Tali just simply took his right hand in both of hers and said, "Okay."

Lying down on the bed, something melted inside him when he heard the sigh of pleasure come from her voice modulator. It was apparent that this might have been the comfiest place she'd ever slept. Backing away, he closed the door on the way out and walked into his room, stripping off his shirt and pants as he did so.

Turning off the light and climbing into his bed, he asked aloud, "What the fuck are you _doing_?"


	6. Chapter 5: Symphonic Science

The first thing he heard was trumpets. That couldn't be right, his alarm was set to the local rock station, surely they wouldn't have the gall to put trumpets on the air, could they?

Sitting up in bed, Alec tried to focus on the digital display that passed for his clock across the room. It currently read eight-thirty. He was very confused, "Whatthefuckisgoingon?" He slurred.

Crossing the room to locate his slippers, he was still aware of a brassy fanfare surrounding him. It wasn't coming from his alarm, it was a Sunday, after all. So where was the source?

Stopping and standing in the middle of the room, he listened intently for the mysterious noises. The sound seemed…muted, which could only mean that it was coming from downstairs somewhere. Throwing on a robe, he threw open his door and padded down the stairs, confusion ever increasing.

The triumphant music was noticeably louder here, he realized as he stormed into the kitchen. Looking around, he was aware that the door to his office was closed and that the music was coming from inside there. Did he forget to shut off his stereo last night? He hoped the noise wouldn't wake Tali.

From where he stood to the door, he realized that he recognized the piece that was playing. It was the Star Wars main title, a piece that had been burned into his memory since the age of two. He was always a huge fan of Star Wars and had bought the soundtracks to every one of the movies, he loved them so much.

With his bewilderment close to bursting, he latched his hand around the handle of the door and opened it slightly. He was not entirely sure what to expect, but it certainly came as a surprise to him what had been transpiring beyond his vision.

Tali stood in front of the stereo system, fiddling with an iPod. In one hand she held a CD which Alec recognized as the soundtrack to the fourth Star Wars movie. Tali thumbed a control on the MP3 player and the main title started up again. Giving a nod of admiration, Tali stepped back from the speakers and let the music wash over her, she lifted her arms and began moving them to the music, as if conducting the invisible players. Alec was mesmerized by how she seemed to flow when the trumpets began performing their complex rhythms. She was swaying her body back and forth, waving her arms around, twirling around.

In the middle of one particular twirl, Tali suddenly stopped, seeing Alec at the door, looking at her. Instantaneously, she dropped her arms and rushed over to the iPod, shutting it off.

"Oh, Keelah. I'm so, so, sorry if I woke you. I didn't- I just-"

Alec just as quickly raised his hands in reassurance, "No, no, it's perfectly okay. I needed to get an early start, anyway. I just found it interesting that you were drawn to that particular piece."

Tali's wilted form suddenly started to rise a little, after getting over her initial embarrassment, "Your…um, music collection was very large. I was just browsing through it when I noticed that you had several that said, 'Star Wars.' Naturally, considering our predicament, I got curious. I'm sorry if I used it without your permission."

Yet again, Alec was drawn to how courteous and apologetic Tali was in times like this. Stepping closer to her, Alec replied, "You don't have to be sorry, Tali. You're more than welcome to peruse my music. Lord knows I have too much of it." He made sure to laugh in order to make her feel more comfortable.

Tali sighed, "I know, it's just that I didn't know if I was intruding, I mean- it's such a lovely piece." She held the CD out to Alec.

Alec reached his hand out and gently lowered Tali's hand. She looked at him, confused. "You can keep it," he reassured, "I have the files available on my network, I can send them all to you if you want."

"Do you mean that?" She beamed.

"Of course I do," Alec said, now serious, "It's a drop in the bucket and I would hate not to share such a collection of music with a fan of the classics."

Tali bounced on her toes, clearly elated. Alec smiled widely at this expression and continued, "What was it exactly that drew you to this CD?"

Tali moved over to Alec's side to show him the album, "It was mostly due to the fact that it had the word 'Star' in it. Also, I was impressed at the artistry of the cover. Did all humans think that spaceflight looked like this?"

Alec laughed at the comment, "Not exactly. We mostly made this art out of our imaginations. We didn't really care what spaceflight would realistically look like, we made it appear how we wanted it to appear." He paused for a quick second before continuing, "In fact, the music in this album fits the movie it was made for so perfectly that people actually have a hard time separating the two in real life. This is a very popular piece in pop culture."

Tali raised her head at that, "What? There's a vid? With this music?"

Slow understanding seeped across Alec's face. He checked his watch for the time before proceeding, "Well, if you don't have anything to do for the next two hours, perhaps I can introduce you…"

* * *

"So, was that it? Did the Rebels win?" Tali chattered excitedly.

Alec leaned forward to stretch his back, "That's not even the end of it. There are two more movies in the trilogy before the main conflict actually ends. What did you think?"

"I _loved_ it," Tali gushed, "I don't think I will ever see a vid quite so powerful as that one in my lifetime."

Alec, unconsciously, reached down to pat her knee, "Well, there are many films out there. I'm sure you will find one that could top that."

Tali fervently shook her head, "No chance. They couldn't even top the conflict between good and evil in our society like they did here. And the space battles? How did they get that footage? How did they create those…um… 'light-sabers?'"

"I hate to break it to you Tali," Alec smiled sadly, "But those were all special effects created by computers. Nothing that was on the screen was actually real."

"But it was so convincing! To think that they could do that with the technology that _old_…"

The computer started chiming, breaking Tali off. Alec, frowning, got up out of his seat to wave the mouse around. The monitor showed that "Mike Reese" was calling via Skype.

"Hm," Alec mused, "I better take this."

"Is it for work?" Tali asked, concerned.

"Must be, why else would he call on a Sunday?"

Clicking the "Accept Call" button, the screen suddenly widened to reveal Mike's face in his home office. Tali sidestepped so that she was out of view of the camera.

"Mike," Alec started. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Mike was clearly happy about something, but he wasn't just going to blurt it out right away. That wasn't his style. "Alec, do you remember when you forwarded me that proposal about the partnership with Siemens regarding the 797 systems last month?"

Siemens was a German electronics company that made parts for various mechanical applications. They had just gotten into the aerospace business and were looking for a partner regarding their new radar systems for Boeing's newest jet to be released in five years, the 797.

Alec vividly recalled writing the proposal. While coordinating the engineers during installation of several of the braking systems for the overhaul of the 787s, Alec had overheard them speaking to the Boeing engineers about Siemens developing some radical new software that would be beneficial for planes regarding their detection software. And this software was going into the 797s first. Alec had researched extensively regarding the company and their motivations for the shift in direction, typed up a proposal that outlined the benefits of a partnership and sent it to Mike, who in turn, sent it over to the corporate headquarters in Hartford.

If Mike's smile could get any bigger, his damn face was going to split wide open. "Well, I just got a message from corporate. They want in with the deal."

Alec laughed in surprise, "Really? That's wonderful news, Mike!"

"You bet it is. You can forget about the assignments I dumped on you yesterday. This is your job now for the next few months. I want you to work on getting us that contract with Boeing. Siemens is working on sending someone over for negotiations. You'll be heading a team with our guys for this purpose. You can do all this, I trust?"

Alec sat up as straight as he could in his chair, glancing at Tali who had her hands clasped over her modulator in a position that signified happiness, "You got it, boss."

Mike clapped his hands over the screen, "Knew I could count on you, son. There's one more bit of information that corporate handed over to me."

"Go on."

"You know that quarian, Tali'Zorah? Oh, thanks for forwarding her name to me, by the way. Fuckheads down below couldn't even be bothered with that kind of courtesy. Where was I?" Mike paused, caught up in his rant that he lost his train of thought, which happened often. "Oh, right. Anyway, corporate has transferred her over to your team. Turns out that her expertise with technical software makes her a huge asset for this assignment and I want you to work with the best."

Hiding a small smile behind his hand, Alec pressed, "Have you contacted her with this information? She is exceptionally qualified as I've seen her in action before and this sounds like a large assignment."

"Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, whenever I've tried to contact her omni-tool, all I've been getting is static. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

"Ummm…" Alec started, before rolling his chair aside while gesturing to Tali to stand in front of the camera. She seemed confused for a moment, then understood, grabbing the spare chair and facing the camera head-on.

"Tali'Zorah here, Mr. Reese," She said loudly and clearly. "I apologize, but I had turned off my omni-tool messages for the night. I'll try to be a little more mindful in the future."

Mike's eyes visibly widened behind the screen and it was all Alec could do not to laugh at the sight, "I'll be damned. He had you here the whole time?"

"We ran into each other last night and he took me home as a courtesy."

Mike did a small double-take, "I see. Alec, did you want to say anything else about this?" The words may have sounded serious but the tone was light.

"No, Mike!" Came the off-screen reply behind his hands that were summarily planted over his face. Leave it to Mike to turn the whole situation on its head and embarrass the hell out of him.

Mike laughed, sensing the awkwardness he'd stirred, "Well, in that case, I suppose you have everything you need to know. Take it easy today, son. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Alec rolled back into the frame while Tali scooted aside to make room for it, "I hear that. Have a good day, Mike."

The chat window closed, Alec slumped against the back of the chair and sighed, "That went well."

Tali turned towards him, "Well? You just got a big assignment! You've proven to them that they trust you to do the right thing!" She had placed her hand on his shoulder at this, causing goose bumps to run down Alec's skin.

"I'm glad you're so optimistic," Alec responded dryly, "It also means that we will have our work cut out for us for a while."

"That's right," Tali exclaimed, "You're now officially my boss." She immediately adopted a slightly mocking tone, "So, what is the first order of business for today?"

"Oh stop it," Alec moaned, lightly pushing her arm, "Not around me, that makes me feel old."

"But I was being completely serious!" Tali said, but it was completely obvious that she wasn't.

"Well, seeing as it's a Sunday and we don't get to work until Monday, why don't you see if there is another CD that you'd like to listen to? Just to kill some time."

Tali rose slowly and sauntered off towards the album rack, "Certainly…boss."

Ignoring the groan that came from behind her, she thumbed through the rack filled with plastic containers of various shapes and sizes. Seemingly at random, she plucked one from the rack and opened up the CD player, "This looks interesting."

Alec, watching the whole thing, recoiled suddenly, "Ah, Tali. That music is kind of…harsh, it's known as death metal and I think it might be a bit abrasive for you."

Tali snorted, "Please, I like all music, remember?

With finality, she pressed the play button and immediately the sound of a singer shrieking filled the office. It didn't help that the volume was on high, either. Nor was the fact that the guitarist was frantically slashing at his strings in what sounded like the beginnings of a stroke, and the drummer was clanging away at every single thing within arm's reach. As quickly as it had been switched on, Tali turned it off.

For a while, neither of them spoke, until Tali started laughing, "What…was…that?"

Alec stood to put an arm across one of her shoulders, fully comprehending what he was doing, while taking the album from her grasp. "I did warn you that it would be pretty extreme."

Tali relaxed in the grip that he held her in, "All right, then. What do _you_ think I would be interested in?"

Grinning, Alec walked her over to the rack, "Well, if you enjoyed Star Wars, I would think that the music from Indiana Jones would pique your interest. They both come from the same composer, after all."

It was only then that Alec realized that he had spent his entire morning listening to music with an alien, an alien who showed curiosity for him and his culture as a whole.

Life was full of surprises.

* * *

Luke was getting impatient. They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago. They would have called in, otherwise.

Snarling, "It's been too long. Something's wrong."

The figure to his left stood up, placing a huge, hairy hand on his shoulder. Luke turned to face Daniel, his leader, his mentor.

"Patience, my son. Everything will turn out in due time."

Luke relaxed in the presence of the man. Daniel had taken care of him when he'd been at his lowest point. He'd brought him into his home, fed him, clothed him, and prayed for him. The least he could do was give him the respect he deserved.

"I'm sorry, Father. I did not mean to cause offense. I am only impatient at the conduct of our brothers."

Daniel nodded slowly, he always understood, "This is normal, Luke. We will all reach the same destination, regardless of how long we must wait."

The door slammed open, and in walked two of Daniel's personal bodyguards. In between them was a man in uniform, a police officer.

"Chief Broughton," Daniel said, his soft voice overshadowing everything in the room, "Why have the police not given up their investigation into the dead quarian? Last I heard, your department believed it was gang related but I am now hearing rumors that they believe that one group is behind all of them."

The chief gulped before daring to utter a response, "They still do, but we're getting pressure from the quarian leadership to look into these killings more closely. They are very upset, you see. And it's hard not to convince the other officers of their hunches. Everyone sees conspiracies around in this day and age."

Nervously checking around the room, he continued, "The fact of the matter is, you all have been operating too close to this area. Initially you had spread out your 'escapades' over a periods of months in different, and now it's only been a week since the last one, right here in the center of town! Is it eventually going to be a matter of days before the next one shows up? You're going to have to be a little more subtle than you already are!"

Daniel nodded, his face impassive, "This is completely understandable from my perspective, but now _you_ must understand something. The Lord weeps for the poisoning of his people. We must be vigilant and steadfast if we want to eradicate this infestation of these demons. They must fall back to where Satan calls and until then, we will not stop."

The chief was starting to sweat now, "Well, you will have to be careful, some of my officers have already begun to grow suspicious. If they even suspect that you've been paying-"

"Not another word!" Daniel hissed, "We have paid you a good amount of money, this is true, but you have been reluctant to involve more officers in this operation. You've only been focusing on us that you have forgotten to cover yourself."

"This is a delicate situation, Daniel! How do you expect me to handle this?"

Daniel was slowly backing toward the door, "I have faith that you'll find a way." Rapping his knuckles across the door, it opened again, where another bodyguard entered, this time with a guest.

The man he was carrying was dressed in jeans and a white shirt. The shirt was stained red and the jeans were torn and tattered. When the man lifted his head, the chief sat bolt upright immediately recognizing the new entrant. "Sergeant Ryan?" Turning to Daniel, "What have you done?"

Grabbing the prisoner's hair Daniel spoke, "You mean, what have _you_ done? I told you a long time ago to cover your tracks. It is apparent that you failed to listen because we caught this… _Officer_ Ryan staking out your house, coincidentally as you were leaving to meet us here."

The man's face was a mess, both eyes were blackened, the nose caked with blood, there were several teeth visibly missing and the horrible stuffy noises he was making indicated that his jaw was broken.

Daniel reached down to his boot, where he produced a long, slender knife, "If this man found out you were connected to us, then surely more would be able to do the same, no?"

For the longest time, Broughton was too frightened to speak. Finally, quivering with fear, he nodded silently.

Daniel smiled sadly, "That's what I thought. I hope you learn from this lesson well."

And with that, he slid the knife underneath Ryan's throat and sliced across his neck, severing his jugular. Broughton squealed as the ugly red wave washed over him and the people next to him. The chief was jerking in his chair, he was panicking. The bodyguards beside him stood in the bloody cascade, unmoving. The pool of blood had now spread to the desk, soaking the chief's shoes. Satisfied, Daniel dropped Ryan's body on the floor, causing a wet _smack_ followed by the gurgling sounds of the rest of Ryan's blood leaving his body.

"Watch him fall, Chief Broughton. Watch him fall."


	7. Chapter 6: Get Down

Alec hummed a ditty he knew by heart as he stepped out the door into the warm September day. It was five in the afternoon and Alec was practically skipping as he exited the UTC building. The day had been productive, but he was looking forward to what was coming later tonight, more specifically, within the next thirty seconds.

The cause of his jubilation was waiting as he walked around a parked car in the lot. Leaning against his own CR-V, was Tali'Zorah.

Beaming, Alec strode forward at a faster pace, "Was your day any good?" He asked as he put an arm around her shoulders. A few coworkers stopped in their tracks, witnessing the slight show of affection he gave to the quarian. He ignored them, uncaring of what anyone thought at the moment.

"Better, now," Tali responded, a little breathily, "I hope you didn't forget about tonight?"

"For something this important?" He asked with mock incredulity, "You wound me, Tali."

Tali laughed at that and proceeded to help herself into the car. Alec, shaking his head in wonderment, followed suit.

The past few months had been especially busy for both Alec and Tali. Alec was making good progress on his negotiations with Siemens, but this came at a cost to his free time. He would spend all day and night on the weekends formulating budgets and sitting in on conference calls, trying to convince the person on the other end to his way of thinking. It wasn't a particularly hard job, just extraordinarily taxing on his nerves from having to be up and about for so long. However, after three long months, he had finally broken through in his debates and was making serious headway. He expected to finalize the deal within a month, two ahead of schedule. This meant that for the first time since that fateful call, he could finally have a weekend in which he was reasonably free.

Tali hadn't also been fairing much better because of her work. While Alec was up all night on calls, Tali was working in the engineering bay tinkering with the operating system that the new radar system was based on. It was primarily UNIX-based and very difficult to comprehend for even the most seasoned programmer. Tali, on the other hand, had blasted through the bugs in the software like crazy. However, due to the new design and structure of the operating system, this meant that there were over a million system glitches that needed to be rectified before anyone could even think of beginning production. While the other engineers struggled to learn the system, Tali had already gone to work and had fixed almost half of them within the first two months. By this time, the other workers had figured out the system and were now assisting her in ironing out all of the bugs that were flagged as "important." This meant that she could finally relax and take some time off for the weekend.

This was a good thing because, despite any spare time the two took together, they were never really satisfied with being apart for so long. They both enjoyed each other's company, both eager to find out more about their respective races, intrigued at whatever would come up in conversation next. Each one was itching to be with the other and now, with a free weekend, the perfect opportunity had arrived. Good thing too, because Tali was dying with anticipation to see the next Star Wars film after her initial exposure to that universe.

_A quarian that landed on Earth and is fascinated with Star Wars_, Alec thought. _It's like the galaxy has a sense of humor after all._

When the car reached the garage, both of them practically bounded out of the car and took the stairs to the kitchen two at a time. Alec turned on the lights and started heating up the oven.

"Do you have the food?" he called over his shoulder.

Tali reached in her bag and produced two tubes of a flavored nutrient paste, "Best stuff on the ship, plus," she added, shaking a third bottle, "A popular dextro beer."

"You certainly know how to have a good time," Alec chuckled, as he procured his gourmet ready-to-eat meal from the oven. Walking over to the fridge, he produced his own beer, a can that read Shiner Bock. "You ready?"

"You bet."

* * *

The credits were now rolling by, scrambling past the backdrop of stars, but none of the figures of the couch were paying any mind to them.

Both human and quarian were clutching their drinks, the human's arm was wrapped around the quarian's shoulders while the quarian was clutching the human's side. The human, being so close to her, could feel her heartbeat through her suit.

"Was…that the end?" Tali whispered.

Alec smiled as he answered, "Yes, for that part. There's still one more movie to go in the trilogy, though."

Extricating herself without the tiniest bit of embarrassment, Tali shuddered, "I mean, how can you process that kind of knowledge? To know that your worst enemy was your father all along…"

Alec squeezed her shoulder, "It's just a movie, Tali. It's all part of telling a good story."

"But shouldn't the story end on a happy note?" She asked, glowing eyes pleading for more information.

"Ideally they should," Alec admitted. "But some stories actually work with a dark ending. But there are some cases in which the ending is not explained very well at all and actually detracts from the whole experience. Trust me, that part happens a lot more than I would like to admit."

"That sounds stupid," she huffed.

"Yes it is," he agreed, "But it's very easy to blame the writers for that-"

"What was that?" Tali exclaimed, pulling herself close to Alec.

"What?" Alec asked, concerned, "What is it?"

"There! Just outside the window!" She pointed with one of her fingers.

Squinting his eyes, it was tough to see out the window at this time of night. There was a little light in the room but a little light is enough to ruin anyone's night vision. Quarians did have better eyes for this sort of thing so it was perfectly logical that she could see something before he did.

"Wait here," Alec said, getting off the couch and moving toward the window.

"No, Alec." Tali pleaded, "Please stay here."

Not acknowledging her, he approached the window so that his face was almost touching it. He glanced around for a few quick seconds before turning back to Tali.

"Well, if you're certain you saw something, we can-"

A loud _thwack_ interrupted him as broken glass pelted him from behind. _Gunshot_. Instinctively, he dove to the ground as Tali gave a little shriek.

"Tali! Stay down!" he yelled.

Tali could only nod her head in fear. Alec froze for a second, hearing only the tinkling of falling glass from the broken pane. Suddenly, in a moment of clarity, he shouted to her.

"Are you hit? Are you all right?"

"I- I think so. I m- mean I'm fine. What about you?"

"I don't believe I was hit, either," he growled as he got to his feet. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Tali asked as he hauled her to her feet.

"Basement. Keep your head down."

They crouch-walked through the kitchen until they reached the door. Opening it wide, they half ran down the steps and Tali was about to ask another question when he moved past her to a large object against the wall.

Alec dusted off the front of the object before fiddling with a large dial. He turned it three times in different directions before it opened. Inside the safe, Alec grabbed a long, thin box that he laid out on the ground.

Too scared to speak, Tali could only watch as Alec unlocked the box and opened it to reveal its contents. From within, a large rifle was extracted. Tali had never seen a human weapon of this size before, she had only assumed that the militaries of Earth only had access to these kinds of weapons, these certainly wouldn't be legal to civilians in Council space.

"What…is it?" She breathed.

"It's a semi-automatic AR-15," Alec replied without looking up, "Designed for home defense." He drove his point home by grabbing a magazine and slamming it up into the gun for emphasis. It was his father's gun, left behind when they moved to California. Alec had made the habit of going to the range each month, to keep his marksmanship relatively sharp, just in case.

"You'll be safe down here," he said, putting a hand up against the side of her visor, "Do not come up unless I tell you to."

Without waiting for a response, he bolted up the stairs, rifle at the ready. He was mad as hell. Some punk thought they could shoot at him, in his own house, in front of _her_? Snarling, he threw open the back door and immediately fired off a round into the air. The loud _bang_ echoed throughout the cul-de-sac, sending a flock of startled sparrows flying away.

"You see this?" Alec yelled, "You see what I'm holding? Come on out you little bitch, you want to get to me, well here I fucking am!" He was walking down the driveway fuming, red in the face.

"You're not going to get to me, you're not going to get to _her_! You want to fight? I'll give you a fucking fight!"

He continued to pace around the road, yelling incoherently into the neighborhood. When enough time had passed, he turned and stalked back toward the house. After reassuring Tali that he was fine, he moved toward the phone. He dialed the extension for UTC Security and hoped that they would arrive quickly.

* * *

Tali sat on a chair in the kitchen, watching Alec converse with the officers that had pulled in ten minutes ago. As soon as the door opened, they immediately started asking him the questions. They never asked her any questions. No one asked her any questions. Only one human ever did.

Alec looked like he was pleading with the officers for something, judging by his hand gestures and wringing of his hands he was clearly agitated. Not that she could blame him. Someone had only tried to kill both of them an hour ago. He had every right to be upset. Now she saw that he was wrapping up his conversation, due to the fact that his body shifted towards her and the way he was nodding in the officers' direction. Walking over to her, he knelt down so that she could see him better.

"Okay," he began, "These fine gentlemen are going to take you back to the complex where you'll be safe. They want to make sure that you're out of danger for the next day or so, then you can return to work with me."

She shook her head, stubbornly, "I'm not going, I'm staying with you."

Alec took both of her hands and held them, they were starting to tremble, "Don't argue with me, Tali. Please."

"I can't stay here knowing that you're in danger."

"And I can't let you stay here and put _yourself_ in danger," he shot back, "I'll be fine, they will have a car on duty the rest of the night. What's more important is that you get back to the complex where it is a guarantee that you will be safe. Do this for me, please."

Tali lowered her head, unsure of herself. Was it selfish to remain here and risk her safety or more so to leave the one human who ever truly cared about him in danger in exchange for her own safety? Then she looked into his eyes and saw the determination in them. She saw no point in trying to argue, he only wanted what was best for her.

"All right," she whispered finally, "But you promise to keep yourself safe, for me?"

Alec responded by squeezing her hands, "Always."

Both of them stood up. Taking a moment to study each other they both headed for the door where the officers were waiting.

"Get her home safely," Alec said to the officers. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

"Not a problem, sir," the officer responded curtly before gesturing to Tali, "Come along, miss."

Watching her leave felt just like that night five years ago, when he had been forcibly removed from her presence. Now, the roles had been reversed. Even though he had the power to stop all of this, his heart told him to let her go. This was for the best, she would be safe and everything would go back to normal.

This didn't entirely explain the fact why someone had decided to attack his house. Whatever for? Was it because of her? Was it the people responsible for all of those quarian killings? Was that the motive?

Trying to organize his thoughts, he picked up his tablet that he had left on the table and flicked on the news. He scrolled through the articles, ignoring the blabbering reporter on the screen. He tapped on the "Local" page for any news of the attack. A quick scan told him that there was nothing related to quarian killings as of that night, or for the past couple months.

Maybe tonight they were trying to rekindle the flame? Make her the target in a bizarre blood sport that had remained dormant for months? The questions kept coming and the answers weren't showing.

He sighed and pushed the tablet away. The night had been going so well too. For the first time in several months he had finally had the chance to spend more than a few minutes with Tali. She was a great companion, she listened to everything he had to say because she found what he had to say _interesting_. And he, in turn, absolutely adored it when she talked about her society and how space travel worked. It was nights like those when they could spend just hours talking when he felt the most comfortable.

_Maybe_, he thought, _after all we've been through, she may even grow to l-_

"_We interrupt now to bring you a special report coming to you live from Norwalk."_

The reporter's tinny voice jolted him from his daydream. Annoyed he walked over to where the unwelcome voice resounded from, finger at the ready, preparing to push the power off button.

"_The bodies of three quarian admirals, one female, two male, were just discovered behind the establishment known as Brothers Pizza. The bodies were reported to have been brutally murdered before they were disposed of in the dumpster behind the restaurant."_

Alec froze, finger still in the air, wanting to hear more.

"_The bodies of the quarians have just been identified by the police who were stationed as liaisons to the quarians operating in the area. The female admiral has been identified as Nale'Krizt, while the male admirals have been identified as Tirn'Lazdan and Rael'Zorah."_

Time stood still for Alec. He wasn't even aware of his surroundings anymore. Even after all this time, he still remembered his first words with a being from another world, all coming back to him in a rush.

"…_and my father is an admiral in the fleet."_

_Her father._

Rael'Zorah

_Rael'Zorah_

**Zorah**

_Tali._

He was now running down the steps, uncaring if he tripped and broke his neck. He scrambled to grab his jacket and helmet while simultaneously opening the door to the garage. Quickly clasping the helmet to his head, he chinned the control to the built in phone that was installed there. Wheeling his bike out the door, he prayed that the drivers carrying Tali would pick up the _fucking_ phone.

The bike ignited, he had made it down the drive when the dial tone stopped and a sharp voice answered. Screaming instructions, Alec raced down the street towards the police station.

* * *

He was scrambling through the woods, desperate to reach the car beyond. A twig snapped back in his face so hard he knew the skin had broken. Not reflecting any more on the pain, he pushed forward to where he saw the glow of a streetlight. Making sure not to trip over any roots, he extracted himself from the foliage and ran straight at the car he had left by the side of a random house.

Once inside, and with some degree of difficulty, he produced a phone from his back pocket, dialed the number from memory and waited.

"Yes?" The calm voice answered.

"I'm sorry, Father." Luke replied, apologetic, "I failed."

"Elaborate," the voice on the other end merely responded.

"I followed the filthy demon like you said. She was accompanied by a man."

"And this is a problem how?"

"Well, I followed them back to a house, most likely belonging to the man. I do not know if the meeting had anything to do with engaging in acts of bestiality before I could get into position."

The voice didn't respond so Luke continued, "I was spotted by…it, when I tried to go around for a better view. I took a shot but missed them both. The man came out of the house with an assault rifle and I only had a pistol. I didn't see if he had a night vision scope on it but I didn't want to take any more chances, so I fled. The demon is still alive."

Daniel deliberately waited ten seconds before proceeding, "And now, thanks to your actions, it would be safe to assume that the house will now be fortified by the company authorities in light of your recent attempt. The involvement of a man is an unexpected, but by no means unplanned factor. If he has chosen to walk this path then he will be punished, just like the rest."

"I made a mistake, Father. Forgive me."

"You are forgiven, my son. Do not despair, for we have completed our own task tonight. Rest assured, it will have appeared on the news by now."

"So the demon leaders have been eliminated?" Luke breathed, hardly believing the other man's words.

"Yes. The day was a success. Come home, Luke. We have much to discuss."

Luke was shaking in delight as he opened his mouth, "I will. Father."


	8. Chapter 7: Lost Soul

The corridor was lit brightly, the light reflecting off the white linoleum as Alec hurried down it. The receptionist had pointed him in the general direction of the waiting room; he didn't even bother to hear the rest of what she had to say as soon as she lifted her finger.

Rounding the corner, he saw a dimly lit room with glass windows and a glass door separating it from the bustle of the hallway. There was only one person sitting inside it, but it was only that person that Alec wanted to see.

Throwing open the door, Alec quickly paced over to Tali, who was sitting with her hands clasped across her lap, head hanging. From time to time, he could hear the occasional sniffle escape her voice modulator.

Alec's heart went out to the poor girl. He had never known the pain of losing someone close to him, but seeing someone in that state of distress now tore him up inside. He wanted nothing more than to lock her in an embrace and tell her that everything would be all right. Instead, he grabbed a chair and pulled himself up across from her.

Tali, sounding miserable, lifted her head slightly, "You didn't have to come."

"Yes I did," Alec argued, refusing to let her beat herself up, "I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Tali shook her head, "I'll…I'll be fine," her voice was giving as she spoke, "It- It's going to be all right…I just-"

Reaching forward, Alec grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them in comfort, "You don't have to lie to me, Tali. I can't imagine the thought of losing my own father. I cannot imagine the pain you're going through right now. But please, tell me what's on your mind. Talk to me."

Tali wilted, not speaking for a minute. She continued to hold Alec's hands, her trembling had subsided greatly.

"I…was never close to him…my father," she started, "He was always concerned about…the Fleet. You understand, of course."

Alec did indeed understand. He understood the duties an admiral had to their people. He understood that being an admiral was a full-time commitment. He understood that even with all of his power, the man most likely never had time for his own daughter.

Not waiting for a response, she continued, "I…don't even remember the last thing I said to him…I don't think it was very nice. I remember shouting at him all the time…trying to make him pay attention to me…trying to understand if he even _loved_ me. But now…he- he's gone…and I can- can't even…"

A small cry escaped her lips, head descending again. Her fingers had begun to loosen in his grasp. Alec gaped at her, confused.

Abruptly, she stood up, breaking free of his hands and walked towards the far corner of the room. Alec, concerned, followed, but she held up a hand when he tried to get close to him.

"You should go," She said, wavering on the spot.

"Why?" Alec said, cocking his head.

"Just…just go…please…" she faltered, "I- I will be fine in the morning…I'll- I'll see you at work…"

Having none of that, Alec kneeled beside her, "I'm not going, Tali. Don't do this to me. I'm begging you, _talk_ to me."

Slowly, her hood raised to meet him at eye level. She lifted a three-fingered hand to rest against his cheek, "Please…just leave me alone."

Now Alec was at a loss for words. For a minute he just sat there, trying to comprehend the words he'd just heard. Tali had turned away from him now, the horrible sniffing noises continued. He reached for her shoulder but she simply shrugged his hand off, pushing him away.

Dumbfounded, Alec sat there, totally lost. Unknowing of what to do next.

Now he noticed that his vision was starting to blur slightly. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears that were starting to form. Instead, he stood up, adjusting his posture so that he stood at his tallest.

"Tali," he began softly, voice slightly cracking, "I care about you too much to see you beat yourself up like this. From the moment I've met you you've been a wonderful friend, a person who has been never acted selfishly, a person that I'm glad to have run into five years ago. I understand the hurt that you must be feeling and I will respect your decision. But, the fact of the matter is, I really do care about you. And if you ever get lonely, if you ever want someone to talk to, please…let me know. I'll always be right here."

Unable to stop the tears from falling, Alec started backing away towards the door, hoping, praying that she'd turn and acknowledge him again. Chocking back a strangled sob, he reached the door, but as he opened it, he shifted his head to face her one last time.

"_Keelah se'lai_, Tali'Zorah."

Swinging the door outward, he exited the room and slowly started trudging back to the entrance.

Hands in his pockets, head tilted downward, Alec was completely and utterly lost. What was he to do now? What would happen to her? Would he be able to see her in a situation outside of work? Why didn't he say more to her? He should have refused outright to leave her side. He was weak. He didn't deserve to be with her.

Lifting his head, he saw the automatic doors of the entrance to the station. He sighed and continued on his way. Maybe this was for the best. Quarians didn't belong on Earth. It was a strange place for them. It was only natural that some of its inhabitants would react badly. With that being said, it was a stupid idea in the first place that he'd ever thought-

Suddenly, his pant leg vibrated. Alec stopped in his tracks, alerted at the new stimuli.

Fumbling in his pocket, Alec pulled out his phone, which the display read that he'd received a message. Unknown number.

Flicking the lock screen, Alec clicked on the mail icon, depressing the touch screen to view the message contained within. Alec stood on the spot for several seconds before reading the five little words that made his breath catch in his chest.

**I care about you too.**

All time on the planet stopped for Alec Lee. Everything felt murky and in slow-motion. He looked around the hall, hardly daring to believe it. The entrance was just ahead, mere feet away. He ran a hand through his scalp, as if the motion would cause him to snap back into reality.

Then he decided that there was only one thing that he should do. Only one thing he _could_ do.

With a horrid squeal of soles on the floor, Alec wheeled and ran back down the hall, phone still clenched in his hand. He wasn't aware of how late it was, he wasn't aware of how he looked, sprinting down a police station hallway. He wasn't even aware of the multitude of people he'd nearly barreled over in his eagerness to reach the room up ahead. Flinging the door open, he ran towards the far corner, spread his arms, and embraced the quarian in a tender, yet firm hug.

Tali was shaking horribly as she reciprocated the hug, noticeably crying. His own tears were falling in earnest, dampening his cheeks. They stood like this for a few minutes as she openly cried into his shoulder, Alec keeping her close for fear he might never feel her again. It was only after a little while did he realize that she was saying something so softly it barely amounted to a whisper.

"Don't leave me, you _bosh'tet_. Don't leave me…don't leave me…don't leave me…"

It took every ounce of concentration for Alec not to break down at her words. Trying unsuccessfully to cover up a sob, he clutched her tighter, which managed to calm her down a little. Her hands were running up and down his back, soaking in every detail. He laid a hand across the back of her head and patted it. This had the effect of her swaying on the spot, about to fall. Alarmed, he carefully moved over to the nearby bench and slowly lowered himself so that they were sitting next to each other, still tangled in the hug.

Feeling movement in his side, he looked to see her visor staring up at him, "Y- you said…_'Keelah se'lai_.' Where did you hear that? I- I never said that to you… a- at least I- I don't think…"

Another cry racked her body and Alec pulled her in so close that both their heads were touching. He listened to her for a moment before answering simply.

"The quarians made the effort to study and translate our language. It seemed only fair that I made a similar effort to study your own."

"D- do you e- even know what you just said?" Tali asked, eyes shining behind the purple visor.

"An old saying, I believe. '_By the homeworld I hope to see someday_.' You'd be amazed at what you'd find on the internet, I was particularly struck by that passage. It's rather beautiful."

Tali, despite her sadness, nodded eagerly, "That's correct. I've never heard a human speak our language before…I- I didn't know…"

A small laugh elicited from her mouth, "I didn't know a great many things about humans before coming here, Alec. But, I never expected to learn that they are capable of caring about us…about _me_…"

Extracting herself from the hug after a while, albeit reluctantly, she sat up to face Alec directly, "I want you to promise me something, Alec Lee."

"What is it?" He asked, all attention diverted to her.

She leaned forward, as if in prayer, "That you never leave me again."

He laughed and embraced her once more, to which she giddily responded to.

"Never."

* * *

The dial tone sounded thrice before the familiar _click_ was heard. Luke adjusted his position in the car so that he was more comfortable.

"Yes?" Daniel's voice wafted through the speaker, smooth and quiet as ever.

"There has been a new development."

"Go on."

"The Feds are now involved. They've locked down the crime scene."

If Luke could guess the reaction of his mentor to his own words, he assumed that Daniel would still have the same stone-faced expression, completely unreadable. The fact that he was speaking on a phone wasn't helping matters.

The voice slid through, "Not entirely unexpected. We did hit the demons hard." The voice paused for a second while its owner mused at the news, "We will have to wind down our plans until the investigation is over. No sense in creating unnecessary risk when good work has already been accomplished."

This was his chance. Unable to suppress his grin, Luke piped up, "There is something else. I have it from my police contacts that a recall will be in effect."

"A recall?" The tone changed for the first time in the conversation, laced with curiosity and hope.

"Yes, a recall. I am told it will be in effect within two months."

"Do they know the circumstances?"

"Not entirely. They assume that the bulk of the demons will be affected, it would also be safe to assume that some of our fellow man might accompany them on their journey."

The voice spoke with clarity and finality, "If they choose not to slow their descent then that is on their heads."

Luke swallowed before the voice continued, "This is splendid news, my son. We may be able to accomplish a few more cleansings before they depart our world for good."

Luke ran a hand across the back of his head, nervously, "I would guess that some of them may wish to stay. The recall may not be mandatory and it is well known that some of the filth have expressed interest in laying down roots."

"Then they'll be taken care of in time. Do you have anything else?"

Luke sighed; he needed to sell this properly, "The house I visited the other night. The one that contained one of…_them_ with a man."

"The one you failed to accomplish."

Luke silently winced at the rebuke, "Yes. That one. They both know that someone was going after them. They have firsthand experience of our actions. We will need to take steps to contain it."

"Are you saying that they should be our next targets?"

Luke straightened in his seat, "Yes. It was my mistake and I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I humbly request that we work to show the both of them the way down."

"Even though that their house is probably now guarded heavily and the fact that they both work for a government-contracted corporation?

"They cannot remain protected forever," Luke implored, "One day they will make a mistake and when that day comes, we will be there."

Luke waited for what seemed like an eternity. What if his request was refused? Would he have to go into hiding with the rest? He didn't like the idea of cowering with fear, waiting to be snuffed out by the Feds. He would rather go out in a blaze of glory, on his ascent to Heaven.

"You have my permission," Daniel replied, "Get a tail on them, record their movements and report back to me by the end of the week."

"It will be done, Father." Luke hung up.


	9. Chapter 8: Recall

"I have to admit, Alec. It's been a rough couple of weeks."

Alec, staring at his computer screen, nodded at the person on the other end. Mike Reese gingerly rubbed a hand through his goatee before continuing.

"With all of the Federal activity here, it's confounding how any work has been accomplished here at all. I'm actually amazed at your progress."

"Thanks, Mike," Alec said gratefully. "It's just something to get my mind off the current situation."

"Not that you needed any convincing. You have everything all ready for Monday?"

Alec glanced at the portfolio that sat atop the table. Finally, after five hard months of complaining and negotiating, he finally convinced both the members of UTC and Siemens to sit down and discuss a proposal, his proposal, for the manufacture and distribution of the new radar system.

"It couldn't be any more ready. I'm a little nervous, but it's to be expected."

Mike smiled across the screen, "Perfect. I actually have something for you that you will need for that day, I'll be sure to drop it off later tomorrow." He started frowning, in spite of his earlier excitement, "But there are a few matters that we need to discuss. Are you alone?"

Alec instinctively glanced upward, in the direction where he knew Tali was currently sleeping. For the past four weeks, Tali had been living at his house. He had, after all this time, kept his promise about never leaving her. He enjoyed her company immensely and it was nice to share his large house with another soul after so long.

In the first few days, he had contacted the housing complex to have her dextro food delivered to the house so that she wouldn't have to commute in order to eat. He also exhibited the foresight to install a more powerful air conditioning and filtration system, a precaution against future emergencies.

He felt a possessive air when he was around the quarian. She was living in his house, eating at his table, and sharing his company. But was she truly his? Even after everything that transpired?

"Yes," Alec replied flatly, "I am."

"Good," Mike said gravely, "Because I have some important information for you." He breathed in before continuing, "As of last night, the quarians issued a recall of their people to return to what they refer to as 'Council space.' This means that any and all quarians explicitly named have to return to the complex by a certain date where they will leave Earth."

Alec slumped in his seat. It was unbelievable. After all this time, she would be leaving him for good. It was so _unfair_. Why was it, when everything was starting to go right for him, that she would be taken away from him. What gave them the right?

"When…when is the recall supposed to take place?"

"Tuesday."

Alec involuntarily glanced at the calendar, "That's only three days away, Mike."

"I know," Mike said sadly, "But because the government has not made any headway involving the murder of those admirals and because of the pressure the quarians are exerting, there is really no other alternative for them to leave until things cool down over here. I'm sorry, Alec. I know how much she means to you."

"You have no idea," Alec said, quietly so that Mike was unable to hear him. His fingers started shaking. A thought crept into his mind, one last ray of hope, "Are there humans allowed to accompany the quarians on the recall? Because, it would make sense if…"

Mike, watching from the other screen, raised a hand, "There are humans going on the voyage, yes. But, the majority of them are scientists and they all received endorsements from the quarian captain. Last I heard, no civilians were allowed."

That hit the nail on the head. Alec breathed out, defeated, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Alec leaned forward in disbelief, "Go on."

"The government has also recently authorized the quarians to bear arms in light of the attacks. They want to make sure that no further incidents are going to take place, but they're not going to alert the public to this in light of a major panic."

Mike now was leaning forward as well, "This is the tricky bit. I know that Miss Zorah will be accompanying you to your conference on Monday, she will most likely be packing. However, if you do run into any trouble, any at all, you must not allow her to shoot anyone. If word picks up that an alien shot a human with one of their weapons, for whatever reason, there will be a major diplomatic incident that will necessitate the moving of mountains to quell. Do I make myself clear?"

Alec sat straight, "Perfectly, Mike."

"You may want to bring a weapon of your own. We will be providing an escort, but just to be safe, I'd bring one along for extra protection."

Sighing, Alec nodded. This was the last thing he needed. To now have to worry about her safety compounded with the information that she was about to leave forever? What a day this was turning out to be.

"I'll do my best."

Mike gave a sympathetic smile, "I know you will, son. Good luck out there."

* * *

The rest of the day went by slowly. Alec, sat in a chair by the window for a time, his thoughts troubled.

"…_the quarians are issuing a recall…"_

"…_you must not allow her to shoot anyone…"_

"**Never leave me again."**

He was fighting a losing battle. With each passing moment he grew angrier. He had been sitting in the chair for a whole hour in the same position, but to him it only felt like five minutes.

"Fuck," he grumbled, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

He knew Tali was up by now, he should probably go look for her, but instead he lifted himself up and walked towards the kitchen. Eyeing the rack next to the fridge, he grabbed the first bottle he saw and lifted it out. It was a bottle of Tanqueray gin, a gift from Gavin, actually. Opening the top, he swiped the nearest glass off the counter and filled it to the brim. Satisfied at the amount, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a huge swig.

He immediately exploded into a coughing fit, the alcohol burning its way down his throat. His lungs felt like they were on fire. His vision instantly blurred, the stuff was so potent. Wiping his eyes, he breathed in and out for a few seconds before raising the glass again. One more couldn't hurt.

* * *

"Alec?"

He was aware of a voice in his ear. The voice sounded distant, rather tinny, with an electronic hint to it. Why was that?

He was aware of something touching him, shaking his shoulder. He couldn't move. He was too tired to even lift his head.

"Alec?" The voice persisted, "Wake up!"

Opening his eyes a crack, he was punished by a flood of light so bright that he shut them again. He also noticed that everything seemed to be at an angle. That was when he realized that he was lying on the floor. As feeling started to slowly seep back into his body, he discovered that the floor wasn't very comfortable. It was stone, after all.

Audibly groaning, it seemed to be a Herculean effort to even lift his arms to prop his body up. His cheek felt wet. His eyes drew to the spot where he'd been laying and saw that the area where his head had previously occupied was damp, he'd been lying in a puddle of his own drool.

Now there was a pair of hands assisting his flight, two strong hands with an abnormal amount of digits gently guiding him up and propping him against the wall.

Vision clearing, a purple mass suddenly appeared in his field of view. He sighed in disappointment. Why did she have to see him like this?

"Hello…Tali," he mustered.

The familiar visor tilted, "You _bosh'tet_, what did you do? Why do this to yourself?"

Alec lazily gazed across the room and he heard the tinkle of what only could be broken glass. Peering down, he found the source of disturbance: chunks of glass were sprinkled around the kitchen floor. The remains of the glass that held the gin.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Tali. I must have gotten carried away. No need to worry." He made his best effort to smile, despite the dizziness that surrounded him every time he moved a muscle. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's eight at night," Tali said, scoldingly, "But what were you doing drinking in the middle of the afternoon? If I hadn't checked downstairs after I was performing last minute calibrations, who- who knows what might have happened!"

Alec immediately felt guilty at her words, ashamed at the worry he'd caused her. She seemed to sense this and gingerly wrapped her arms around his waist to get him to his feet. Another wave of dizziness washed over him and he staggered in her grasp.

"You, mister, are going up to your bed right now," she said forcefully.

Alec, about to protest that he had enough sleep, stopped himself when blackness started to creep into his vision, the remnants of his drunken encounter. Wisely, he remained mum, not wanting to worry the woman in his house even more.

"Lead the way, then," he smiled.

* * *

The faucet running, Alec splashed water onto his face in an effort to wake himself up. He was standing in front of a mirror in his bathroom, khakis and a button up shirt on his person. Wetting his comb, he applied it to his hair in an effort to control the curling from the humidity that the shower caused.

Yesterday was rather awkward for him. He had spent practically the whole morning apologizing to Tali for his unforgivable behavior. She, in a role reversal, had nonchalantly shrugged off his stammering and wringing and at one point, forcibly put a finger to his lips and told him to stop. But it was all lightness and full of acceptance as she did it, accepting his apologies and Alec shut up then and there.

Gazing at his reflection, he realized that he still hadn't discussed the recall with Tali. She didn't know he knew about it, but how to bring it up? He couldn't just waltz downstairs and say with a smile on his face, _"So, you're leaving tomorrow?"_ That was completely inappropriate.

Sighing, he threw on his leather jacket and shoes and started to walk downstairs. While in the kitchen, he recalled Mike's words to him two days ago.

"_You may want to bring a weapon of your own…"_

He realized that Mike was right. If nothing else, then he was the only protection she had on this trip. He opened the door to the basement, walked down the creaky steps and made for the safe. Twisting the dial in its familiar pattern, it opened and Alec glanced at the top shelf.

Bringing a rifle onto a corporate headquarters was a bad idea all around. The AR-15 was a bulky gun, required two hands to use, and would be useless in an ambush. Alec instead pulled out a smaller box and opened it on the table beside him.

The FN Five-Seven was a Belgian gun, unremarkable by today's standards. It used specialized 5.7 millimeter bullets that were custom made to fit the gun. Unlike most pistols, the Five-Seven had the capacity to fit twenty rounds in its magazine, as opposed to the mean of twelve. It was a light, compact gun that would be useful for the situation. The gun was his own, unlike the rifle, bought with his own money so Alec felt a sense of pride and ownership as he hefted the gun into the shoulder holster, which he then proceeded to attach underneath his buttoned shirt. Satisfied that it was concealed properly, he headed back up.

Tali was waiting in the kitchen when he arrived, but Alec's eyes were drawn to the object at her waist. It was light grey, grooved, and little red lights ran alongside it. It didn't take Alec long to comprehend what he was staring at was a gun and a very futuristic looking gun at that. If Tali noticed Alec's distracted gaze, she didn't mention anything. Alec, for his part, didn't mention the gun as well. The timing didn't seem appropriate.

"You ready?" She asked first, beating him to the punch.

"Ready as ever," he responded with a smile, "I've got everything packed, how about you?"

She crossed her arms in a gesture of mock incredulity, "I've got everything I need right here."

At that, Alec stared for a second, then gestured towards the door, "Shall we go?"

Tali held up her hand, "Almost. I forgot, the package drone dropped this off yesterday." She held out a thin yellow package to him.

Intrigued, Alec ripped open the package to find a set of keys within, along with a note. Setting the wrapping aside, he read the note aloud.

_Alec, the folks in the business world like to see employees who exhibit a sense of style, no offense. I got in touch with the guys at corporate and they agreed to provide you with a company car for the day. This is just for cosmetic appearances as we'd like to show you off to the Siemens guys because I don't think a motorcycle or an old Honda SUV is going to cut it. Hope you enjoy the ride. Spared no expense._

_-Mike_

Alec hefted the keys in his hand for a bit and laughed. Tali, watching, cocked her head, "What's so funny?"

"I think my Hondas just got insulted."

Tali shook her head, "They're just _cars_, you know."

Alec grinned, "Yeah, I know. But it's also something more, I can't really explain it. Come on, let's go see what Mike brought us."

With that, they exited out the front door, stepping down the cobblestone walk, around towards the back. When they rounded the final corner, Alec let out a whistle.

"They weren't kidding about appearances."

In front of them, in shining black, lay a 2022 Audi RS6 luxury sedan. The wheels were brushed alloys, the side trim was carbon fiber, and the grill glistened sinisterly in the sun. The car cost $90,000 out of the showroom and Alec suspected that they hadn't gone for the base model either.

Clicking the key, Alec heard the doors unlock and the engine started instantly at the touch. Glancing at each other, both of them clambered into the car. Inside was a mix of leather and chrome as the entire dashboard was covered in the stuff. A GPS navigation system took up the bulk of the area, complete with internet access. The dials in the front were electronic, LED lit. And the radio was already on, Bang and Olufsen made, sending classical music flowing throughout the interior (which Alec promptly turned off).

Adjusting herself in her seat, Tali sighed, "It's…very comfortable. Do all cars have such…luxurious amenities?

Alec shrugged, "Only if you can afford it."

Then a wicked grin spread across his face, there was one feature that he'd spied that was sure to shock Tali. This was going to be gold. Reaching towards the touchscreen, he pressed the icon for the seat controls. Before Tali could ask what he was doing, he swiped his fingers across the screen. The result came moments later. Tali arched her back, gasping for breath as Alec laughed beside her. Between her squealing, she managed to choke out a few words to him.

"What…is…this…Alec?" She managed.

Alec still laughing, gestured to the console, "Massaging seats, Tali. I'm guessing that you don't have these on the Flotilla?"

"No," she groaned, "But I know what I'm going to do when- oh Keelah…"

Grinning at her wonder, Alec shifted the car into drive and continued down the road, where he noticed that a nondescript sedan pulled off the street and started following them. That must be the escort Mike had promised.

Tali had switched off the seat by now, but both were still settling into their new surroundings even after they got onto the highway.

Two hours to Hartford, enough time to talk.

* * *

Oddly enough, neither one of them had spoken a word since they left the house. The Audi glided silently on the road, the large V8 surprisingly quiet. The ride was comfortable, the car responsive, it was a match made in heaven. The unmarked sedan followed close by, but it was seemingly having trouble keeping up with the sleek German car.

It wasn't until they passed Waterbury, that Alec started to open his mouth to ask what was bothering Tali when she, again, beat him to it.

"I…got a message from the Flotilla a- a few days ago." She hung her head shamefully.

Alec glanced at her, mouth in a hard line, "About the recall?"

At that she glanced upward, "How did you know?"

"Mike told me…around the same time"

"But…why didn't you say anything?"

Alec sighed, found the Driver Assist button, depressed it and took his hands off the wheel so that he could fully face Tali.

"Why? I guess I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted to know that if I mattered enough to you for you to tell me something this important."

Tali let out a little sniffle, "I…I- didn't think y- you'd understand. I thought you would get a- angry. You do m- matter to me, Alec. I just was so caught up, I- I didn't want to see you hurt…"

Alec paused. It was easy to see, despite the visor covering her face, that the woman was clearly miserable. She was upset at the thought of having to leave the planet that for five years, had been her home. But most of all, she was upset at the fact that she had to leave _him_ behind.

Reaching down, he unbuckled his seatbelt so that he could move across the median and wrap Tali in a hug. She was now crying openly. "I do understand, Tali. I would like nothing more than to spend more time with you, if that was possible. But right now, as circumstance has it, if we have to be apart, then so be it. But I will never stop thinking about you. You are a friend that I will cherish for the rest of my life, possibly even my _best_ friend."

_Wait, what did you just say?_

It was too late to stop the flood of emotion that came from Tali from his words. She threw her arms around him as he gently rocked her from side to side as she cried. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the blissful warmth that came from her enviro-suit. He didn't care if any passing driver saw the scene transpiring in the car: a human hugging a quarian. If he had died at that very moment, he would have been at his most content.

As the car continued down the road, Tali loosened her arms around Alec's neck, "Did you mean all of that?" She whispered.

Alec gently unwrapped his own arms from around her thin body to cup the sides of her mask, "Every word."

At this, she reciprocated by placing her own hands on his cheeks, caressing them and feeling the smoothness of his skin.

"Thank you."

* * *

He was too far back, in the sedan that followed the Audi, for the man sitting behind the wheel to even see what was going on. The man, a police officer of fifteen years, yawned as he cracked his knuckles whilst the car zoomed by at eighty miles an hour.

He hated the drive to Hartford. The road was terrible, the route was twisty and convoluted, there was always traffic, there was-

The CB radio on his dash squawked and with military precision, he grabbed the receiver and spoke into it.

"Yes?"

"Report," the voice on the other end barked.

"They just passed the exit to Cheshire."

"And their destination?"

The driver squinted, rummaging on the passenger seat for the slip of paper with his orders.

"UTC corporate, arrival in thirty-five minutes."

"Do you have an estimate for the time they start their return trip?"

"Negative, I'll keep you posted. Out."

As he set the receiver down, the driver couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. Not just for his own sake, but for the sake of the people seated in the car ahead of him.


	10. Chapter 9: The Black

The Audi turned off the highway and to the right. A mile down the road stood the University of Connecticut's football stadium, rather small compared to several big schools. What was also odd about it was the fact that it was located about an hour away from the main campus. Alec never really understood the logistics of that.

Looking to the right, Alec could see the Hartford skyline. Again, it wasn't very impressive compared to most major capitals, but it had kept Tali glued to the window as they passed by the skyscrapers and congested streets. Continuing down the road, past the local Cabella's laid the corporate headquarters for UTC.

Alec had regained control of the car a ways down the road, switching off the Driver Assist in order to do that. A rumbling sound passed overhead, causing both occupants to look in multiple directions for the source. A big Sikorsky helicopter passed over the car, answering the unsaid question. It was painted a dull grey and was approaching the big building that doubled as their destination. Passing the gate guard, they entered the complex, found a parking spot and killed the engine.

Neither one of them moved. Both of them sat inside the dark interior of the car, staring straight out. Alec suddenly heard a rustling noise and picked up movement in his peripheral vision. He then felt the familiar feel of a gloved hand on his own.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tali asked, concerned.

Alec didn't turn his head, "I thought I'd be asking you that same question first." Instead, he turned his hand over so that he was now returning her grasp.

"I worry about you, is all."

"And you don't think I worry about you?" Alec now was facing her to see that she was staring right back at him.

She squeezed his hand lightly, "I know you do. You've shown me more kindness than any of my people, even my own father. I- I just hate seeing you…so sad."

Shaking his head, Alec stopped her, "None of that now. We have a job to do." He hated himself for saying those words. He wanted to soak in the maximum amount of time he had left with her, rather than talking in some stupid boardroom for a deal that made no discernable difference in the scope of the galaxy. In fact, he longed for nothing else, other than to leave the parking lot, take to the highway and just drive, with her alongside him. Nothing to fear, no regrets. Just the future ahead of them.

She tilted her head slightly, as if she was about to say something, but her position readjusted, "I- yes, of course. You're right."

Still mentally cursing at himself, Alec grasped the latch on the door and opened it, stepping out into the bright, cool day. He waited a bit until she was safely out of view before reaching inside his jacket and depositing his pistol underneath the seat. He wouldn't need it for this part.

* * *

The man in the blank Ford sedan peered intently at the parking lot. His targets had just exited the vehicle. He peered through his binoculars, which were recording the event as a precaution.

The man he was looking at was young, early twenties, short, wavy brown hair and thin. He was currently discarding his leather jacket and throwing it into the car. From the young man's glazed expression, he was clearly concerned about something. He had no clue what was eating the man, but the driver could tell it wasn't good.

His big surprise came when he spotted the other passenger exiting the car. He shifted the binoculars to catch a glimpse of the figured draped in purple. A _quarian_.

This was news to him. Despite his posting towards escorting his targets, he'd never bothered to read the dossier on them, much less check if they were actually _human_.

The quarian was a little shorter than the man and from the looks of it, they were both talking to one another. The driver had never spoken to a quarian in his life and felt a twinge of jealousy at the man for interacting with one. The two were moving closer together, as if they'd known each other a long time. _This was certainly interesting_. The driver was about to take off the binoculars when he saw the two of them move in for a hug.

_Now that is interesting_.

Such shows of emotion were common amongst the human race. It was engrained into everyone's memory but the man could not even recall seeing, not even on the television, two different species hug before. It was a development that brought clarity to the task he'd been given.

_So…that's why…_

The two of them were now moving toward the main doors at a brisk pace. The driver lowered the binoculars and set up the motion sensor on the dash to alert him for any movement. Accomplishing that, he booted up the monitor on his dashboard and started a game of solitaire. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Both of them walked out the doors, a slight spring in their steps. It was now five in the afternoon and most of the employees at the office were leaving. Despite the crowd, Alec and Tali were given a wide berth in the trek to their car. Tali had her arm hooked around Alec's and this caused quite a large amount of stares from the workforce.

Alec didn't even care. _Fuck them_. He'd just accomplished a multi-million dollar deal, he was best friends with an alien and they were going enjoy their last night together. He still hadn't decided what exactly he wanted to _do_ with her, but he figured he'd make it up as he went along.

Reaching the Audi, both of them pulled apart their respective doors and lowered themselves in. Alec swiftly bent down to grab his gun from underneath the seat to bring it back to the shoulder holster. Tali, meanwhile, did the same to her gun. Once inside, she leaned over to put an arm around Alec's neck.

"Well? Not bad for a day's work. I thought you sounded _brilliant_."

Alec laughed as he relished the touch on his neck, "I think that had something to do with the person sitting here next to me. You provide good morale." He bit his lip, frowning in mock concentration, "Or it could be the fact that your presence startled that one German man so much he forgot to speak English for a few seconds."

"Well," Tali said defensively, "It wasn't a secret that I was coming. I didn't even make any sudden moves towards him." She paused, tilting her head, "But…it was kind of funny. What kind of language was he speaking? It sounded very authoritative and unpleasant."

"That," Alec said as he started the car. "Was German. It's not spoken as much as English, but it's a language I know a bit of. I couldn't get much past the fact that he kept on saying 'God in Heaven' the whole time."

"Maybe he was more intimidated about the fact that you looked like you were about to kill him every time he glanced at me."

"I…well," Alec stammered, "It shouldn't have been that big of a deal for him. He should not have been acting like a scared child when you walked into the room. You'd think he'd just seen the Antichrist."

If she did not comprehend the reference, she didn't even ask, "I seem to remember that _you_ jumped a foot in the air the first time we met, hmm?

"That wasn't fair, you had snuck up on me! And I held a civil conversation afterwards, didn't I?"

Tali only laughed at this. The Audi was now headed towards the highway, the streets were oddly empty. Alec glanced at the GPS to make sure he was traveling in the right direction. Seeing that the arrow was on course, he leaned back, satisfied.

The light ahead of him changed to yellow and Alec, operating on instinct, depressed the brake pedal so that the car slowed down. Tali crossed her legs and began aimlessly moving her foot up and down, perhaps to a song she was listening to in her head.

"Alec?"

"Hmm?"

"There's something I forgot to mention…about our earlier conversation."

Suddenly wary, Alec turned toward her, "What is it?"

"You know, humans are allowed to c- come with us on the recall…but only if they get an endorsement from the captain."

Alec straightened, nodding, "I know, but they're only letting scientists on or anyone with good standing with the nation. They're not allowing civilians."

Tali was wringing her hands, nervously, "That's the official position, b- but, there's other ways…" She was starting to fidget now, agitated, "I know I have no business asking you this…but if there was a chance, d- do you think that you could…"

While she was talking, the light had switched back to green. Gingerly, pushing the gas petal forward, Alec was still glancing at Tali when he saw the sides of her mask become illuminated. Turning around sharply, he saw a pair of twin beams, rapidly approaching his side of the car.

"Alec!"

There was an awful shriek of metal undulating, tearing. The sound of glass shattering.

Everything went black.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was pain. There was a lot of it. More specifically, it was coming from his left side, near his ribs. He inhaled and gritted his teeth against the sudden flare of heat. Cracked rib, most likely.

His vision was slowly coming into focus. He was now aware of an ache on the left side of his head, probably from when he smacked into the overhead airbag. He wondered if he had gotten a concussion.

A chill ran up his arms, he was only wearing his undershirt. Someone had removed his jacket and button shirt. He tried to move his arms to get warm but he found out that that was going to be impossible.

His hands were tied around a pipe, grimy from the slime that covered it. His feet, lying in front of him, were also bound with rope. He was grateful to see that his shoes and pants were not removed. He would have been mildly disturbed if they had.

Craning his neck, he looked around the room he was in. The floor and walls were concrete, dusty from lack of use. A table sat in the middle, a cheap foldable one. Pipes protruded from all directions in the room. The ceiling, unfinished, was a maze of pipes and electrical wires that passed through the bars that held the structure up.

To the right, he realized with horror, was Tali. Outwardly she seemed fine. Her head was hanging down at an angle and it looked like her hands and legs were tied as well, although she was not connected to a pipe, he saw.

"Tali!" He whispered, "Tali!"

"Uuunngghh," she groaned, clearly dazed.

"Tali, please wake up!" Alec hissed desperately.

Before he could say any more, the door swished open. There was a lining on the bottom of the door and the sides, a soundproofed door. Through it walked a colossal man, one of the biggest he'd seen in his life.

The tall, wild-haired man approached Alec before gently kneeling down. Alec was dimly aware of two other men following the leader in, one had a bottle of beer in his hand. It was evident, based on the newcomers' body postures that the one in charge was about to address him.

"I do apologize for the rude introduction," the big man said, his soft voice filling the room, "But we are on a tight schedule and you have involved yourself in this mess."

Alec was incredulous. He was so appalled at the big man's tenderness. He'd been shot at, he had a car crash into him, and now he was tied up in this room. He couldn't help hide the venom that came from his voice.

"Yeah, well send a fucking text message. It costs next to nothing and you can reach anyone from your phone."

The big man nodded to one of his cohorts, who proceeded to walk over to where Alec was sitting. Without warning, a fist slammed into the side of his head. He saw stars and was dimly aware of the pain that racked throughout his body. Something warm was in his mouth, he spat it out. _Blood_. Tali stirred at this noise, she was slowly awakening.

"I don't appreciate your tone. You should be more respectful given your current situation."

"Just cut the bullshit and get onto the fucking point," Alec spat, more incensed, "It's apparent that I don't have all goddamned day, you little bitch."

The fist slammed into his eyebrow. It wasn't a full on hit but he knew that he was going to sport a brilliant shiner soon. Tali now jerked at this, she was definitely awake now.

"Stop it!" She pleaded, "What do you want with us?"

"Shut up, slut!" The third bodyguard yelled, giving her a vicious backhanded slap. Tali fell to the side, moaning in pain.

Alec yelled, "You piece of shit! You've hurt her, I'll-"

The big man suddenly yanked Alec's undershirt to push him into the protruding pipe. His back ached uncomfortably at the sudden irritation.

"You'll do what? You're tied up here. We have her. We have you. We can do anything we want." Releasing Alec, he slowly slid to the ground, feeling his back. "My name is Father Daniel, you can just call me Daniel. I command this group of loyal servants to the eradication of demons from our holy land. I don't suppose you're at all religious?"

Alec shot Daniel a glare that could have cracked diamond, "Never had much use for that, I'm afraid." His eyes shot to Tali, who was whimpering in the corner.

"A shame, you could learn so much. You would have learned, if you were a good student, that man was the only species to be created in God's image. Created…on the sixth day, so that God himself could marvel on his work afterward on his day of rest."

Alec was barely suppressing the itch to roll his eyes at this. He'd always viewed religion as a razor's edge. It provided a great many guidelines for people to pursue a course of happiness and it was proven to work. The other half viewed it as a stupid excuse for people to erupt in debates over which deity was superior. It made no sense to him. If everyone believed their God was the one true God, then wouldn't that make God everyone's God?

"I seem to recall that part in Bible school," Alec said, with a slight mocking edge.

Daniel stood up, "So then, if His word is to be believed. Everything on this Earth was created by God. And Earth was created as a testament to God's power." Not waiting for a response he continued, "So, the fact that these…_creatures_, exist. The fact that they purportedly come from another world, wouldn't that mean that Earth is not unique? That we are, after all, not created in God's image, but they are?" He gestured to Tali at this.

Daniel shook his great head, "No. God is great. God made us because he could. He did not craft these demons. There is only one other who could have done so."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Alec blurted, before he realized what he said.

Alec's vision blurred for the fourth time this night as the massive fist made contact with his nose. He knew it wasn't broken because it still maintained its shape, but it started to bleed like crazy. He could do nothing to stem the flow, just sit while the blood dripped down his face, staining his shirt. Tali was crying now and he was starting to get worried.

_Stay strong. Stay strong for her_.

Breathing out of his mouth to clear away some of the blood, Alec spat, "Worst massage ever."

Daniel laughed at this, "You're incredible, I must say. I've never seen anyone with a bravado like yours." He then halted, understanding spread across his face. "Maybe, I've chosen the wrong pressure point."

With horror, Alec watched as Daniel walked, not towards him, but towards Tali. One of the henchmen lifted her off the ground into a sitting position, preparing her for what was to come.

"Dammit, Daniel," Alec yelled, "What do you want? Talk to me, just leave her out of this. We can discuss this like civilized beings. What do you want from me?"

Daniel slowly turned around to face him, "It's not something you can give me willingly, I'm afraid." With that, he lashed out, quick as a cobra, with a fist that made contact with the side of Tali's helmet. There was a sickening _crack_ and she was propelled to the floor.

"No!" Alec screamed, as Daniel rose off the floor, "You motherfucker! I will fucking murder you! You can't- I won't let-" he collapsed in a sobbing heap, tears now added to the blood that dripped off his face.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," Daniel said, amused. "Take her into the other room," he ordered the henchmen, "We can see how he reacts when she is removed from his presence."

One of the men belched loudly, set down his empty beer bottle on the table, and moved to help the other, grabbing her feet and dragging her out, her head clearing a dusty path off the ground.

Alec moaned miserably and started crying again. Daniel knelt beside him again, "I can tell by your reaction. Don't tell me that you're…_attracted_ to her?"

Breathing heavily out of his mouth, Alec made eye contact with Daniel. He didn't say a word, but let the pure hatred that flowed from his eyes transfix the huge man in front of him.

Daniel roared in laughter, "Lord Almighty. I can't believe it. You telling me that you would want to _mate_ with her? Have intercourse with that thing?"

"Fuck you," Alec breathed.

Daniel rose, scoffing, "Well, _you're_ certainly beyond saving. I can see that you're in an emotional state right now. I'll be back for you once we've finished with it."

Alec, coughed, "You…still haven't told me...why…"

"Because we are the masters of our destiny. We alone have control over the universe, and we are the only ones allowed in His garden."

Daniel now moved toward the door, "Do not fret, my son. You will fall in due time. Perhaps you might even be with _it_ in the end."

"Not if you fall first," Alec countered.

Daniel gave a sad smile, "Everyone falls. But we have the power to stop our descent."

And with that, the door slammed shut.


	11. Chapter 10: Rampage

As he sat with the blood dripping out of his nose, Alec felt resigned to his fate. He had failed her. He had let them take her, she was in danger because he wasn't paying attention. Such a stupid mistake.

Sobbing, Alec banged his head against the pipe and let out a guttural yell. He knew they couldn't hear him, but he could only hope that _she_ could hear him, could _feel_ that he wished to be with her, right up until the end.

In a moment of rage, Alec wrenched his arms against the pipe, trying to break the rope that was tying him to the pipe. Still yelling, he threw himself forward again. And again. And _again_.

Nothing. There was no give in the ropes, the pipe stayed where it was. It was hopeless.

To think that they were focusing their attention on torturing her, on killing her. What if they removed her mask? What if, in her last moments, she died in sheer agony as an allergic reaction was slowly killing her as well? It seemed cruel to think that he would never be able to see her face, but they would, just before they killed her.

Alec screamed in frustration and brushed his hand against the back of the pipe. There was a stinging sensation. He gave a faint, "_agh_!" in annoyance. He could feel the blood now start to drip down from his hand as well. But what had cut his hand anyway? This pipe was smooth.

Gingerly, he felt with his fingers around the pipe, feeling for some anomaly, some deviation from the featureless texture. Suddenly, he felt a rough edge. He probed around more, trying to get an idea for what it was.

The pipe was cracked. There was a hole about two inches wide running the length of the pipe. It had burst outward long ago but more importantly, it was still sharp to the touch.

Suddenly grinning like a maniac, Alec began furiously working his arms up and down the pipe, hearing the scratching sounds as he gradually wore loose his bonds. With each thrust up and down, Alec felt new energy flood his limbs. He wasn't going to let her die here. Not ever.

_I'm coming, Tali._

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the ropes broke. With a cry of jubilation, Alec yanked the bonds free but winced as his limbs folded back into their original positions, not fully realizing how stiff they were after being held in the same place for so long.

The ropes around his legs came easily, the knot around them was easily undone and finally everything was cast aside. Making every effort to not make a sound, despite the soundproofed room, he stood up.

He was a mess, at least he could tell by the state of his shirt. Nearly every inch of it was covered in blood. He figured his face probably looked a lot worse. Oddly, he wasn't as concerned with that at the moment. He needed to figure out how to get out of this room.

Shuffling over to the door, he applied gentle pressure to the handle. Locked, of course. So he was stuck in here until someone came in to check on him.

A sudden surge of fear flowed through him, he glanced around the room nervously for any cameras that were set up for surveillance. Finding none, he backed toward the table. He needed to sit on something proper.

There was a rocking sound as his hip hit the table, he glanced back at the what caused the noise. His eyes opened wide.

_That could work…_

* * *

The guard on duty, Zachary, walked aimlessly down the hall. Daniel had just ordered him to check on the man. Snorting at the assignment, he had bowed his head graciously before proceeding to carry out the task. He expected this to be simple, just pop his head in, see if he was still alive and hurry back to Daniel.

He didn't want to miss the fun.

It enraged him to no end when he saw his fellow man cooperating with these demons. He had been a loyal follower from the start, he never faltered in his duty and he never hesitated when it was time to get his hands dirty.

Which is why he was frustrated that he had to check up on the weakling that they had locked up in the other room. Surely, couldn't someone else have done it? A baby could do this job.

Grumbling, he grabbed a set of keys out of his pocket before slipping one into the slot. Opening the door wide, he glanced inside to check in if the prisoner hadn't swallowed his own tongue.

He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice initially that the prisoner wasn't in his original spot. In fact, he wasn't anywhere in the room at all. Starting to get agitated, he poked his head further into the room.

"Holy Mary, mother of-"

The bottle smashed into his head with such a savagery that Zachary was knocked out instantly, the pieces of glass cutting into his scalp. In a final unfortunate twist, as his body was descending, his chin caught on the corner of the table, snapping his neck. The body made a loud thud as it concluded its downward trajectory, and standing over it, holding the broken neck of the bottle, was Alec.

Panting hard, Alec moved from behind the door and closed it to a crack before frisking the body. He pulled the set of keys from the man's hand and slipped them into his own pocket. Alec also noted that the man was wearing his own leather jacket. Huffing and with some degree of difficulty, Alec pried the jacket off of the body and rejoined it with his own. Finally he saw, smiling, was his Five-Seven pistol wedged in the man's waistline. He removed it and felt the familiar grip in his hands.

_I'm ready._

He made to leave before he stopped in his tracks. He looked back at the motionless body of Zachary. He couldn't tell if he was paralyzed or dead, but he knew, with a gut-wrenching turn, that he had to make sure that would never get up again.

He set the gun down; it would be too noisy, and reached for the remnants of the bottle he had found lying on the table. Picking up a long shard, he crouched by the body and lifted the head by the hair, glass ready by the neck.

He had never killed a man before and he wished all of his life that he would never be put in such a position, but right here, right now, he knew what he had to do.

He squeezed his eyes shut with all his might and _sliced_. For a horrible second, the shard of glass got caught on Zachary's windpipe, but Alec wrenched and it slid free, the awful task complete. Dropping the glass, he stumbled away from the body, eyes still shut until he was in a corner of the room and retched, splattering the floor.

He stayed in that position for a minute before he lifted his head up and stepped back to see what he had done. Mercifully, the body was face down, the wound out of sight, but there was a huge pool of blood by the man's head that was still spreading.

_I did this._

There were no tears to be shed. He did not feel sadness at the passing of the man's life, only at the loss of his innocence. Damn them all. He still had a job to do.

Picking up his pistol, he opened the door slightly and slipped into the hallway.

* * *

The hall was sparsely lit, giving it a rather industrial feel. It looked like to him like a repurposed hospital. There was dirt everywhere on the floor, clearly the occupants didn't care about the state of the place. Perhaps they moved frequently, in order to evade the authorities. Why bother cleaning up if you weren't going to stay there long anyway?

_They said, the other room_.

But which one? All the rooms he'd checked had been empty. He hadn't even heard a sound since he stole out of his prison. He was getting more and more stressed. Where was she?

Reaching an intersection, Alec cursed. There was no way to know which direction he should proceed in. This was a disaster. He glanced down the hallways, behind him, on the floor-

There were footprints on the floor that were left behind in the dirt, he noticed. Fresh ones. They led off to the right, a clear path before him. Breathing in sharply, he raised the gun to bear and continued.

A few minutes later and he could finally hear something, it sounded like a conversation. He discovered that the area was getting lighter the closer he was getting to the voices. Eventually, he met a corner where it sounded like the voices were coming from just beyond.

Alec took a deep breath and depressed the magazine button on his pistol. He should have checked earlier but he was way too freaked out at the time. Now he needed to be sure. It was full, so he slid it back up into the gun and quietly racked the slide back, chambering the first bullet.

_Locked and loaded_.

There was no telling what would happen once he rounded that corner, but stealth wasn't an option at this point. And he had someone to save.

Alec ducked as he turned the corner, where it looked like a makeshift kitchen had been set up. Two men, it sounded like, were laughing over a pot of coffee, jaded to the horrors that lay within the building. Alec was currently behind the counter so he was out of sight for the time being. That was not to last.

Standing up straight, Alec fully revealed himself as he aimed down his pistol. He could not see the men's expressions, they were only a blur as he concentrated on lining up the sights with the center of mass.

He was not a crack shot by any means, but even an average shooter has no problem hitting a target at point-blank range. The first shot careened into the first man's chest, just above the heart, creating an explosion of blood and bone as his ribs shattered.

_One down._

Swiveling on his feet, he had no time to adjust the height of the gun as he focused on the second man, still sitting in front of his drink in shock. The bullet slammed into the man's forehead, sending a mass of blood and brains to scatter over the countertop behind him. The sounds of the bodies dropping were the only sounds that resonated after that. The gunshots were extraordinarily loud and Alec hoped that no one had heard them in the immediate vicinity.

After hearing nothing but the dripping of blood and tissue for a minute, Alec took the time to collect himself before continuing his search. Stepping over the bodies he spied a long thin object within reach that made him give pause. A shotgun.

He recognized it as a Remington Model 1100, a gun made popular due to its advances in weight and recoil. There were shells scattered around the gun so he picked a few up and put them in his pocket. Picking up the shotgun, he recognized a familiar grey, grooved object on the nearby countertop, miraculously untouched by the gore he'd left in his wake. Tali's pistol. He reached for the unusual looking object and placed it in the waistline of his jeans.

White hot anger surged through his body. He was done sneaking around. It was time to fight dirty. Breaking into a light jog, he continued to follow the footsteps until suddenly the door in front of him opened.

He edged into an alcove and recognized the exiting person as Daniel. He was about to raise the gun until he spoke.

"I'll be in the garage if you need me. Don't go all out on it, she needs to know how it feels to really live…"

_That- That meant…_

Daniel was walking in the other direction, the door was being pulled shut from the other side. He noticed the bottom edge sweeping across the tiled floor. Another soundproofed door.

Seeing only red, Alec plucked the set of keys from his pocket as he reached the door. Incredibly the first key fit on the first try. Daring to believe his luck, he swung the door open to a nightmarish sight.

Tali was lying on the floor, not bound any more, but clutching herself in helplessness. Her head was buried in her knees so she didn't realize that he had entered. From the part of her visor that was exposed, he could see a long crack that ran down. Did that mean her suit was breached? Was she going to die, after all he'd done to get here?

But the most grotesque thing in the room was the man standing in front of him. He recognized him as the guard who had left the beer bottle behind in his room earlier. But now he was standing above her, wearing a tank top and nothing else, one hand holding a sharp carving knife.

Stepping into the room, Alec kicked the door closed. He could open it from the inside with the keys.

"Back again, Daniel?" The man asked, not looking back, oblivious to his plight, "Did you decide that you wanted to watch, after all?"

When no answer was given the large guard slowly turned around to face a blood splattered man. What he noticed next was that the man was holding a shotgun and the guard now realized where it was pointing.

"Wait," he began, "Don't-"

The shotgun went off, kicking into Alec's shoulder, despite the decrease in recoil. The noise was painful in such a confined space, he was afraid his eardrums would burst at any second. An outburst of blood shot from between the man's legs, soaking the floor below. He made a surprised "oh" face and his knees gave way, sending him to the ground.

Alec ignored the thrashing of the man and moved over to where Tali sat. Uncomprehending, she suddenly leaped forward to grab the knife the man had dropped and started plunging it into his chest.

"_Bosh'tet. Bosh'tet. Bosh'tet_…" Tali screamed through her sobs. The man had long grown still but she continued to stab him anywhere she could reach. Blood splattered each time she pulled out the knife, covering her in the stuff.

"Tali," Alec started. She continued to maul the man, "Tali. Tali!"

Finally, he grabbed her arms and lifted her into an embrace, "It's over, Tali. It's over…"

Tali was crying harder than he'd ever seen her before. Her limbs were spasming, she was going into shock.

"Tali, listen to me," Alec said soothingly, "Look at me, baby. Look at me."

Lifting her head up to the voice, she saw a man drenched in blood, but who wore a relieved smile and that tears were running down his face. With a sob of joy, she threw her arms around his neck and nuzzled his head with her helmet.

"Thank you, Alec," she cried out of pure happiness, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I told you that I would never leave you," he replied simply.

And he held her as she continued to cry, clutching as tightly as he could for fear she would be taken from him again.

* * *

Minutes passed before either of them was able to move again. Exiting the horrible room, they found a staircase which they proceeded to descend. Reaching the bottom, they found a door which led outside. Leaning against it, Alec looked back at Tali.

"There may be others out there. Do you think you can face them?"

Racking the shotgun slide, which she now held, she replied, cold steel in her voice, "Absolutely."

Even though he still possessed her pistol, Alec had made relayed the point of refusing to use it in this situation. Despite the fact that the people outside were clearly enemies, the discharge of such a weapon might be enough to cause a stir within the community. If one person saw an alien weapon go off, it was all over.

Nodding, Alec lightly applied pressure to the bar and the door opened. A waft of cool air hit them as did a light mist from a drizzle that was over the area. Both Alec and Tali exited the building, guns at the ready.

They were in a parking lot. There were a few cars of various models, all were American. The surrounding area was unrecognizable, but that was to be expected. Spotting a barrier, they crouched behind it.

He turned to look at Tali, "Can you hotwire any of these cars?"

Tali nodded, "Yes. It should be easy."

Alec, relieved, rose from the cover of the barrier which suddenly was flooded by a spotlight. A burst of gunfire racked the concrete in front of him and he instinctively ducked.

"There they are!" He heard them yell.

"Fuck!" He snarled, "They must have found the rest of the bodies."

Tali clutched his arm, "You mean you killed more of them?"

"Yes, three others."

Tali must have been gaping from behind the visor because she gave a slight "oh" of surprise.

The bursts of fire were coming in sporadically, in two separate intervals which meant two shooters at least. Alec had no way of telling where they were coming from. They needed to get into a better position.

"Stay right behind me," Alec ordered.

Trying not to slip on the wet gravel, Alec crouch-walked to get behind a nearby car. Tali followed suit. Bullets instantly pelted their makeshift cover, sending a spray of glass down above their heads. Shaking his head to clear the debris, he motioned her forward again. They took cover behind another car, waited a moment, and then repeated the process anew.

Alec realized from the beginning that they were going to have to take out the two people shooting at them or they'd never get back. Getting to them was the easy part, now they needed a plan for their escape. They needed a car, preferably a fast one.

"Over there!" Yelled Alec, pointing at a black Mustang, "Do you think you can get us that one?"

"Yes! Hold on." Tali adjusted the shotgun in her hands before he realized what she was about to do before she did it. She immediately sprung from behind the car they were taking cover and the sounds of gunfire started up again. Alec watched with bated breath as she sprinted to the car. For a split second, it looked like she might make it.

Then Tali suddenly jerked backwards. Time slowed for Alec as she fell to the ground, a bullet had caught her in her midsection.

"NO!" Alec screamed, as he leaped from his hiding spot and hosed the thugs with bullets. His fifth shot caught one of the shooters in the eye, taking off half his face in the process. His partner, shocked, stood there for a second with bullets whizzing by his face before unloading hell back on those in front of him.

The slide racked open on Alec's pistol. _Empty. Shit_. He turned to make toward another car for cover when something hit him in the shoulder. Spinning around from the impact, he landed on his side on the car's hood. That's when he realized that he'd just been shot.

He roared, not from the pain, but from the carelessness he'd exhibited from standing out in the middle of the lot like an asshole. Somehow, even though he saw her go down, he could hear her screaming.

"Alec!"

"Tali!" He shouted, "Stay down!"

The pistol was useless now so he shoved it in his waistband with his good arm. His left arm was sluggish, it wasn't responding properly. He thought it would be more painful than it was but he reasoned that it was just the adrenaline coursing through his veins that was taking the edge off.

The drizzle was turning into a downpour now, everything was getting soaked outside. Despite the roar of the thunder and the patterns of the rain, he heard after a smattering of fire, a _click_ that reverberated throughout the lot.

The thug's gun was empty. It was now or never. Hauling himself to his feet, he ran as he had never run before. He reached Tali's prone body and dragged it behind the Mustang, feet away. What shocked him most tonight was not the fact that Tali had been shot in front of his eyes, but that she was still alive and _breathing_, against all odds.

Alec started to press his good hand on her body, "Where were you hit? Is it bad?"

Coughing, she held up her hands, "I- I'm…fine…Didn't breach…suit…Had my barriers…up."

Alec was nonplussed, "Your barriers?"

Tali nodded, in between bouts of coughing, "Kinetic…barriers…They activate when…an object moves toward them at…high speeds…I'm fine, really. Just bruised under the suit."

Alec, hardly believing any of it, could only nod his head. Taking the shotgun from her hands, he reached from his jacket to hand her the grey pistol.

"Don't use it unless you have to."

Alec, moving away from Tali, crouched behind a nearby pickup truck. He hoped Tali would unlock the door to the car and hide in it, she would have a better chance of survival.

Instead, the nearby sound of footsteps made him stop what he was about to say to Tali. The man was close. Real close. Alec desperately looked around for a hiding place before the man got into his field of view.

The man walked around the car, automatic rifle on the hip and spotted Tali immediately. He walked past a pickup truck to get right in front of her. She appeared to be conscious, although it was unclear if she was dying. Maybe he hadn't hit her as badly as he had thought. With a boot, he nudged her three-toed foot.

"Where's your boyfriend, bitch?"

A loud _bang_ careened into the night as the man's leg exploded when the shotgun blast severed it at the knee. The man fell on his back, screaming, desperate to stop the flow of blood by planting his hands across his stump of a leg. It was all for naught, as another loud _bang_ echoed and the man's head fell apart, leaving a messy trail that the rain began to wash away.

Alec crawled out from under the pickup and hoisted Tali to her feet. He clutched his still bleeding shoulder as he dropped the empty shotgun.

"I think you're going to have to drive."

Less than a minute later, a black Ford Mustang smashed through the gates of A.J.'s Aluminum Siding Co. as it followed the signs indicating the direction of the 84. Tires squealing, it then proceeded in a westerly direction before Alec fell into blackness.


	12. Chapter 11: Someone to Live For

**Author's Note: I took some inspiration in this chapter from the wonderful FF Razor's Edge. Simply put, Mr. Deamhan's attention to detail outlined in his series has been influential on the writing of this story and I wanted to pay tribute to that.**

"Don't you dare give up on me now! Alec!"

His eyes fluttered open, they weren't moving anymore. He felt relaxed, at peace. He wished he could stay like this for a little bit longer.

A sudden slap across his face threw that plan out the window. Alec sat bolt upright and rubbed his jaw, "What was _that_ for?"

Tali clasped a hand to her voice modulator, "I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to wake you."

"Next time, set the alarm," he grumbled, "Ah! Goddamn it." He clutched at his shoulder as he put his weight on it. It was only then that he realized that they were in the driveway of his house. Tali was a better driver than she'd initially let on, apparently.

Tali gasped, "You're hurt, let's get you inside." Throwing his good arm over her shoulders, they made up the walk of the house to get to the front door. Alec groaned in the sudden pain before he addressed Tali.

"What about you? You were shot too, in case you hadn't realized."

"I told you, I'm _fine_, "she asserted, "I will most likely have a very colorful bruise but other than that I'm good."

Her point made, she opened the door and unceremoniously deposited Alec on the nearest chair in the kitchen. He tore off his jacket to reveal the blood-stained undershirt and the ugly wound beneath it.

The bullet had torn into his shoulder, but the bullet used was tipped with a full metal jacket meaning that it simply passed through the mass of muscle and cleanly out the other side. There was an ugly gash but the entry wound was not terribly noticeable and he was starting to gain back some of his motor functions. He counted himself very lucky.

"We should get something for this," he indicated the still oozing wound, "I've got a bottle of vodka in here somewhere, we can-"

"Forget that," Tali said sternly, opening one of the many pouches on her suit, "I've got something better than that."

It was only now that Alec was able to fully concentrate on her since the escape from the warehouse. Tali's suit was rumpled and dirty, but it was mild compared to the large crack that ran down the length of her visor, caused by Daniel's blow. He was worried initially, but she had assured him that there was no breach, just cosmetic damage.

"Ah!" Tali exclaimed, "Got it." She produced a tin of what looked like lip balm and set it on the table. Taking a generous amount on her fingers, she swooped in to apply it to his shoulder.

"What the hell is tha- arrgghh!" Alec winced at the stinging sensation, "Son of a bitch!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Tali apologized, "But that will clear up in mere hours after that. A little medi-gel does wonders to any and all wounds." That being said, she applied more to her fingertips, but she was more careful as she applied it to the bruises and scratches on his face, involuntarily jerking each time he stiffened in pain, as if he was transferring it to her.

"There," she announced, "That ought to do it."

Alec flexed his jaw at the sudden absence of discomfort, "Thank you, Tali. Now, you should go look after yourself too, you know?"

She cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"I mean is that aside from getting abused in that monstrous room, you got _shot_, for God's sake!" His voice rose with incredulity, "I don't care if you had your barriers up or not, I would feel much better if you would diagnose yourself and apply that miracle-gel, or whatever the hell it's called, to your injuries. I mean, I care about you too much to see you like this!"

She didn't move against the sudden outburst. Alec, deflated, raised a hand in defense, "Tali, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that, it's just that-"

"Okay."

Now it was his turn to be confused, "O- Okay?"

She nodded once, "Okay. I'll go do it. I might need to use your bathroom, though. I ran a scan of the house and it's the cleanest room there is."

With that, she turned and headed upstairs, leaving a stunned Alec in her wake. He spent a good ten seconds looking at the spot she'd just occupied before rising off the table, hissing when pain still throbbed through his shoulder, albeit slightly less painful.

Tearing off his ruined undershirt, he threw it in the trash before heading upstairs as well. The main bathroom doors were closed, which meant that Tali was taking his words to heart. Wincing at his sore body, he went into his room to grab a change of clothes before crossing the hallway again to get to the master bathroom.

Once inside, he disrobed quickly, turning the shower on so that it could be at the proper temperature when he entered. Stepping into the hot spray, he groaned as his tortured muscles relaxed. The medi-gel was water resistant so he had no worries about it washing off. Grabbing a nearby cloth, he wiped his face clean of the blood and mud that had stuck to his face for the majority of the night. The water at his feet ran red. He stood in the warmth for minutes before shutting off the flow and stepping into some more comfortable clothes, a tank top and shorts.

Stepping out back into the hallway, he sighed in relief. He was still wide awake though, he should probably check in on Tali before he went to bed. Walking down, he saw that the bathroom door was open, she had finished up. Looking beyond, he saw that the door to the guest room was closed, no lights escaping from beneath the door. Disappointed, he started to trudge over to his room when suddenly the door to the guest room opened.

"Alec?" Tali looked much better. He could see that she replaced her damaged visor with a fresh one as well as exchanged the worn and frayed hood for a brand new one. She looked just like her old self. "Would you mind if I took a look at you?"

Shrugging, he followed her inside as she shut the door behind him. The lights were off, yet she made no motion to turn them on. Alec sat down on the edge of the bed as she quickly followed, imitating his movements. She ran his hands up over his face, gently prodding the already fading scratches and the ghostly remnants of a bruise. With a nod, she looked at his shoulder, noting that the wound had stopped bleeding and was already looking like healing scar tissue.

"I think you'll live," she said, satisfied.

"Yeah," Alec laughed. "Just barely."

Tali gave a light chuckle before hanging her head, "I'm sorry about today. I was such a wreck; you shouldn't have had to see me like that."

"No, no, Tali," Alec soothed, "You were acting completely normally. Anyone else would have reacted as you did."

"But…not you."

He stared at her for a long time before she continued, "Even when they were beating you up, you were laughing in their faces. When that one human hit me, you threatened to _kill_ him. And all the while I- I just sat there, crying. Like a coward."

"You are not a coward, Tali," he said, voice stern, "I saw you out there. You took all of the shit they threw at you and you beat it. I saw you run, without any regard to your safety, to get to a vehicle that would help _us_ escape. What you have been through, would be enough to break anyone. But not you. You're still here now, with me."

He brought her in for a hug, to which she responded to gratefully, "I know Alec, but…you killed five people tonight. You've never done anything like that before…and y- you did it for _me_. I- I don't deserve-"

"You don't deserve what? You don't deserve the right to live without fear? To deserve the right to enjoy all the freedoms that we, as sentient beings are provided? And why do you think I've been looking after you this whole time? Did you think it was because I wanted to renew an old conversation with the first alien I've ever met? To use you as a trump card to brag about to my friends and family? 'Look guys, I'm friends with an _alien_ and you're not?'"

He was speaking louder now, getting more agitated, "Was it because it was simply my job for the company and I was humoring you this whole time? Maybe it was because I really do care about you, as more than a friend. Maybe it's because I _love_ you…"

Alec froze, shocked at his own words, his own harshness. Abruptly, he stood up, off the bed and walked over to the window to gaze into the valley below.

"I shouldn't have said that. You didn't need to hear all that."

He felt his hand being pulled into a familiar three-fingered grip, "Why not?"

He kept his gaze downward, unable to meet her eyes, "Because it's a selfish thought. A foolish dream from someone who refuses to accept reality." Slowly bringing his head up he continued, "You shouldn't be able to live the rest of your life knowing that there was someone out there you couldn't be with who loves you. It was an inappropriate slip of the tongue. Besides, it can't be like this. You wouldn't be interested in the first place. I'm a human…and you're a-"

"A quarian," she finished for him, lifting his head so that he was looking right at her, "What if I was interested? What if I don't care?"

Tears were starting to form around his eyes, "Tali, I-"

"What if, since the day I first met him, I fell in love with a human who made me feel like a complete _person_? What if, after all of this, I had met a man who would _die_ for me if he had to? What does that say about me if I didn't appreciate that? Did you think I would not notice what you've done for me?"

She was starting to shake again in his arms, wiping his eyes, he moved in closer to steady the quarian, who continued to speak, "I- I would be dead if it weren't for you. I cannot live without you, Alec. And I would like nothing more than to be with you for the rest of my life. If nothing else, I would at least like to be with you tonight."

With these final words spoken, her arms slowly moved up towards her helmet, reaching for…

"Wait, Tali!" Alec said, shocked, "What if you get sick? What if you-"

She responded by shaking her head, "It's too late for that anyway." And with a hiss, she delicately lifted the visor off her helmet, placing it down by the foot of the bed.

Alec had only enough time to see a pair of pure blue eyes before he found himself on the bed, Tali having pounced on him, hungrily planting her lips over his own.

The feeling was exquisite. He had never felt anything like it before in his life. He closed his eyes and let the sensations of touch and taste overwhelm him in their intoxicating snare. Tali kissed him again, she was now hugging him as she was straddling his body. Alec threw his arms out, pulling her closer to his body. He was enjoying the passion of the moment when she suddenly slipped her tongue inside his mouth and all notion of time melted away.

Drawing himself upright, he responded to Tali's kisses. She sensed this change and moaned slightly through her mouth. Their lips were now locked, tongues dueling, for what seemed like an eternity. Both breathed heavily through their noses, enjoying the pleasure that each one brought to the other. Tali was now responding strongly, her tongue dancing in all directions, sparring with his own as they continued their embrace. Alec savored the intricate taste of the quarian as they continued. She felt so _alive_ right now and he only wanted to make her feel as comfortable as she could possibly be. She deserved that much.

With a sigh, the kiss was broken and both Alec and Tali were breathing hard from the exertion. Alec had tilted his head back so that he could get a better look at the quarian sitting across his lap. She was quite a sight to behold. Her facial features were at sharper angles than a human's, high cheekbones and a short nose. Her skin was a dark grey, smooth and unblemished. Her mouth was small, and Alec could see that she had a set of pointed double canines which reminded him of a house cat. Her eyes, were indeed blue and were slightly slit-shaped, again, like a cat. Her helmet had come off sometime when she pounced on him and it turned out that those internet articles were accurate because her silvery hair was flowing down in all directions, causing his jaw to fall open in surprise. She truly was a marvel.

She must have seen the stupid look on his face because she frowned (he had never seen her frown before!), "What's wrong, Alec?" The poor woman looked hurt, "Do I look too…peculiar? Am I ugly?"

Her bottom lip started to quiver and he quickly planted a kiss on her lips, "Would you believe me if I said that I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life?"

She beamed, an expression Alec wished to burn into his memory forever, "Only a little bit, you _bosh'tet_." But she leaned forward to put her lips on his again, arms exploring the curves of his back, grasping it like a swimmer on a life preserver.

Pulling away, she stated, "Help me out of this suit. I have only one more day to be with the man I love…and I want to remember it well."

Not finding any fault in her logic, he set to work at helping her remove various portions of her suit. Twisting a knob on her back unlocked a series of switches. These Alec flicked to unclasp the back portion of her suit, which suddenly split away. With a little more room, Tali wriggled her arms out from the gloves as she set to unbuckling the straps that lined her waist. Her back facing Alec, he helped her get the top portion out of the way until she kicked off her boots and worked to get the rest of it off her waist.

After some degree of difficulty, Tali finally kicked off the last of her suit and turned to face Alec, the moonlight from the windows illuminating the contours of her body. Alec's brain was currently overclocking, so many different emotions were running past him that he couldn't think of anything to say. On top of that, he still had that ridiculous expression on his face, he was absolutely stunned.

Walking up to the bed, Tali straddled Alec yet again as she pulled off his tank top, kissing him every step of the way. With a forceful shove, she flattened Alec on the bed as she reached towards the waistline of his shorts and tugged them down.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Tali?" Alec asked, laughing.

Tali was grinning as she climbed back onto the bed to rejoin him. "I believe that she is currently enjoying herself with her lover," she murmured into his ear.

Lying on top of the bed they fell into each other's arms. Alec was dimly aware of his hands acting on their own, wanting to explore every inch of Tali's body, savoring the smoothness and the angular shape of her hips.

Tali, on the other hand, was going absolutely wild. Her hands were frantically racing all over Alec, feeling every muscle, every tendon, anything within arm's reach. As much as he wanted to lose himself in her ecstasy, he wanted to make this night last as long as it could.

With an animal grunt, he turned her over so that he was now atop her. He leaned down so that he was kissing her, but he started moving his head down a little bit each time he bent to connect his lips with her body. He spent a good while kissing her neck, eliciting several moans from Tali in the process. Spurred on, he continued his descent, pausing to plant a quick kiss between her breasts before halting around her abdomen.

He spread a hand across her flat belly, admiring the toned muscle, the rise and fall of her breathing. He laid his cheek on her stomach as he listened to her sounds, feeling her heartbeat and her warmth. He traced a line on her belly, awestruck by the grey color of her alien skin. He kissed her body tenderly, tilting his head to meet her eyes. Their gazes locked as Alec smiled, head supported by the quarian's flawless body.

"What is it?" She said, concerned at his suspension.

"I'm just...overwhelmed," he admitted. "I...could never have predicted that I would have fallen for a _quarian_."

She reached down to stroke his cheek, "Nor could I fathom that it would be a _human_ that I would come to love."

Aroused by her assurance, he planted several kisses in quick succession around her belly button, causing Tali to giggle uncontrollably.

"That tickles…"

Smiling in the face of this new knowledge, he ran a finger up along her back, causing more laughs to erupt from Tali as her back arched to the new sensation. He now started to ascend back to her, but he paused for a longer time around her chest.

Taking his hands, he reached up and cupped her breasts. They really were perfect. They were small, but firm and supple. Alec gently squeezed them, causing a gasp from his partner.

"Oh please, more of that…more…"

Not wanting to disappoint her, he continued to play with her breasts some more before he laid his head down across her chest and started to kiss it. A shudder passed through her body, she was in heaven. Lowering his head, he planted his lips over her nipple and gently sucked. Tali was writhing now, there was no way that she could experience any more pleasure running through her body. It just wasn't physically possible.

Heads at the same height now, both were starting another round of kissing, Alec atop her body as she hugged him close, fingers digging gently into the muscles on his back. Some time passed before he drew himself up slightly. He looked into her eyes, waiting for her confirmation. This was her decision to make, not his. When she nodded her head "yes," he bent down and entered her body.

From then on out it was a haze of sweat and skin for Alec. He made a genuine effort to remain in contact with as much of her body as possible. He buried his face in her neck, stifling his groans as he thrusted. She, in turn, kissed his cheek and neck as she moaned in tandem. Occasionally, both of them would reposition their bodies so that they could kiss each other's lips. The feeling was addicting to Alec, he simply could not get enough. Their heads were side by side, both rising and falling as they moved back and forth. Her tongue darted out to flick his earlobe as she whimpered, caught up in the fog of desire.

Their bodies were aching, their bellies were clapping hands in a quickening beat. Both of them craved to be with the other, to share the intimacy of the moment. Alec held Tali tightly as he continued to move, listening to her gasps and sensual moans. He had never been with such a woman that openly thirsted for such stimulus. She was giving him everything she had, completing the circle as she fell into a fervor.

Tali then twisted forward to now plant Alec on his back. Riding atop him, she set the new pace for the dance that they shared. She arched her back in pleasure, moaning some more. Alec reached out to grasp her breasts once again, playing with them as she rode him.

Her body started to shift, she bent down to lock lips with him once more. Their hands were interlocked with one another, never mind that the number of digits didn't match up, they shook with each passing moment. Tali was going faster now, she was grunting. Her mouth was open as her eyes were tightly shut, all feeling in her body had pushed her beyond the realm of pleasure entirely.

Tali's mewls were driving Alec close and he drew her to him so that their bodies were in complete contact. Her hard nipples were brushing his chest and their tongues seemed to have minds of their own as they skimmed and caressed the other's while they kissed. Soon, Alec, hands placed on her hips, closed his eyes and waited for the blissful ending that was about to occur as he felt a quake build up inside the both of them. Tali was tingling all over, she was desperate to share the moment with her lover together and wanted to complete her first intimate experience with a feeling of absolute joy.

A few hard thrusts later and both human and quarian surged, as if struck by lightning. They could feel the tension from their respective partner and they both loudly moaned as they climaxed. Unable to support themselves, they collapsed in a heap, spasming, clutching one another and breaking the silence to give the occasional kiss.

* * *

"How could I have possibly been so lucky?"

Tali, nestled in Alec's neck, mumbled, "Hmm?"

"I mean, how is it, that after all this time, I find myself in this position with you? The most stunning thing that ever existed."

Tali smiled sleepily, "It wasn't easy, you did have to kill five people to get to me."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. But that doesn't matter, I have you now. Everything is all right in the universe."

"What do you mean 'you have me?'" Tali asked, propping herself up on one elbow, "I said you got _to_ me. For all intents and purposes, you are _mine_."

"Oh, is that the way it is?"

"That's the way it's going to _be_, mister." Tali placed her lips in for another kiss, "At least…until tomorrow."

"I'm not so sure," Alec said, "You were about to say something on the road home, just before that car hit us. What was it?"

Tali sighed in his arms, "It was nothing."

A hand lifted her chin up, "Come on, tell me."

"Well…I was going to say that I may be able to persuade…the c- captain of the ship. T- To let him take you with us. B- B- But, that's something I couldn't possibly ask of you. To leave your homeworld…that wouldn't be right."

Alec stared up at the ceiling, contemplating silently. He listened to the light breathing of the quarian sharing his bed before mumbling, "I always wanted to know what space was like…"

Tali's head shot up, "What did you say?"

"I mean, I've always been fascinated with space. I've always wondered what life was like beyond this world. Don't get me wrong, it's a great planet, but I don't think I could live with myself given the choices presented to me."

"T- Then, does t- that mean?"

Alec cocked his head before continuing dramatically, "Well, let's see. I could stay on this planet and watch the person I love most in the galaxy fly away, confined to this boring dirtball forever…or I could go on the ship, witness new civilizations, see new worlds, and be with the person I love most in the galaxy." He scratched his head, jokingly, "It's a tough choice, but I think I'm going to chance the spaceship. I'm kind of fed up with the drama on this planet, anyway."

With a squeal, Tali leapt onto Alec, kissing him furiously before their desire for one another culminated with them making love for a second time.

Life was full of surprises.


	13. Chapter 12: Obstacle

"_Everyone falls."_

Alec awoke with a start. There was no one there. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, his heart was pounding. Breathing out slowly, he reclined his head back on the pillows.

He sincerely hoped that last night wasn't a dream, despite the…setbacks that had occurred. He felt the happiest he'd ever been in his life. And he owed it to a quarian, of all people.

He felt a weight on his right side and tilted his head down to get a better look. Resting across his chest was a mass of silver hair atop a grey head. Tali's eyes were closed, she was still sleeping. Her arms were draped around him, as were his own, having fallen asleep in each other's embrace. Elation rising, he completely forgot all about his awful memories.

_It wasn't a dream after all_.

A smile on his face, he squinted as he now noticed the rays of sunlight peeking through the blinds of the window. It was clearly well into the morning and he craned his head to get a look at the nearest clock.

_Eleven in the morning? Jesus, how long were we out?_

Trying to recall the events of the night just before they fell asleep (grinning at that), he estimated that they had finally gone to bed at around five. They had literally been up all night so it made sense that they would have the most fulfilling sleep anyone could possibly have. Tali stirred in his arms and one eye opened sleepily, exposing a blue iris.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

She yawned in the light, mouth opened wide before she shivered and pulled the blankets over her shoulders. "Brrr. It's freezing in here. Do you always live in such cold temperatures?"

"It's only seventy degrees, Tali. This isn't exactly winter weather."

"Well, without my suit, it's chilly."

"I seem to recall that last night you weren't complaining how cold it was."

She glared back up at him, only her head was exposed from the bed. He decided that she was absolutely the cutest thing that existed. On top of that, her cheeks darkened, in which Alec could only assume was blushing.

"I…you know _damn_ well why that was, mister."

Sliding back under the blankets, Alec moved his body so that their skin was touching, the warmness of their bodies transferring to each other. Their arms wrapped around each other as they lay sideways. His hand was on the back of her head, in a gentle caress. "Any regrets?"

She placed a smooth, grey hand to touch his cheek, "None."

"Good," he said, and kissed her full on the mouth. She murmured in surprise but responded just as strongly, eventually opening her mouth so that both of them were now making out. She rolled on top of him, lips glued together. Exhibiting a monumental amount of restraint, Alec broke the kiss.

"It's eleven-thirty in the morning. When does the ship leave tonight?"

Tali paused, still lying atop him, "Nine. Should we start getting ready?"

Alec sighed, not wanting to spoil the moment, but there was still tasks that needed to be done, "We'd better start."

Tali groaned as she lifted herself off him and threw aside the covers to make for her suit, which she'd left in a crumpled heap at the side of the bed. Seeing an opportunity, Alec started, "Wait, do you really need to put on the suit now?"

She smiled in sadness, "I have to. I took the precaution of taking some antibiotics last night to reduce the risk of an infection, but they probably have worn off by now."

"Are you planning to leave the house in the next half hour?"

She bit her lip, confused, "No, why?"

He grinned, stepping out of the bed and taking her hand, "You should be fine. Come on. I need to show you something."

Still naked, they both padded across the hardwood floor towards the bathroom in the center of the hallway. Stepping inside, Alec quickly twisted the dials so that the shower started running, the temperature beginning its climb. "You've never experienced water on your skin before, have you?"

Eyes shining, she shook her head slowly, "No…I- I never thought that...Is it safe?"

He gave a slight shrug, "Only if there's not a storm going. Come on." Pushing aside the glass door, he stepped into the spray, water pelting everywhere as he held out a hand. Fingers slightly shaking, she grasped it and entered into the shower. Breathing in sharply, she edged into the warm jet.

She gasped. This was an entirely new sensation. The feeling of thousands of little drops running down all over her body was incredible. Putting her head in front of the shower, she exhaled audibly as the water ran down her face, plastering her hair down. Her expression was one of absolute amazement.

"Alec…it- it's…wonderful."

He truly hoped that he would never get used to seeing her face in such a form of happiness. Embracing her in the shower, he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I hope no one but me ever gets to see your face."

Her skin tingling from the shower, she moaned, "With all my heart, they never will."

In retrospect, it was foolish of Alec to assume that the brief detour would only take a half hour of their time because when that window passed, both of them were still encased within the shower, audible gasps and moans escaping from the door of the bathroom. Forty-five minutes _after_ that fact, the door finally opened to reveal a human and an unmasked quarian wrapped in towels, laughing as they playfully chased each other back to the guest room, the door of which closed and remained shut for _another_ half hour.

Screw the future, they were living in the _now_.

* * *

Shoving the last of his necessaries into his backpack, Alec took a moment to glance around the room that he'd lived in for most of his life. It was now seven in the evening, he was all packed and ready. He was quite attached to the place, despite any comments he had made in the past about the relative monotony of his life. He sincerely doubted if he would ever come back.

_So long, Danbury. Hello space._

Grabbing his trusty leather jacket, Alec stole down the stairs to find Tali sitting at the table, toying with her omni-tool.

Alec commented, "Wish I had one of those."

Tali, now back in her suit, laughed, "You'll get one. When you come with us, you'll be able to do so many more things rather than that archaic fossil you call a 'computer.'"

"Hey, that was very expensive," He replied in mock defense, "It was supposed to be one of the fastest on the market!"

"It wasn't very good, though. Plus this can store as many vids as you want. I still don't understand why you need cases to transport them all."

Alec threw up his hands in surrender, "You win, I concede the fact that an alien race that arrived here in a spaceship, has technology that is more advanced than ours."

Tali giggled, "You never had a chance there, I'm afraid."

"Rub it in. Anyway, are you all packed and ready to go?"

Tali spread her arms wide, "You're looking at it. We should leave in the next ten minutes if we want to get there to see everyone off. I should call the captain and let him know we're coming."

"Good idea. I already sent a mass email to all my close friends and contacts. They'll know where I've gone and I'm sure they'd understand."

"That's…excellent…but, oh Keelah. Are you still certain you want to do this?"

Alec quickly walked over to her to lift her in a hug, "What did I promise to you all those months ago? What did I promise yesterday?"

"That-," Tali choked out, "That you'd never…leave me."

He set her back down, "Then there's your answer."

Her eyes, although unclear behind the visor, were rapidly filling with tears, filled with love for the man that she had gradually fallen for during her tenure on this backwater planet. He placed both hands on her shoulders, "You should probably call the captain."

She nodded, "Yes…I should."

Clearing her throat, she engaged the glowing orange tool on her arm, a tiny viewscreen popping up to reveal another masked face, this one tinged with a blue glow.

"Captain Tyr'Danris? It's Tali'Zorah, we will be approaching the ship in-"

"_Tali'Zorah? Where in the name of the Ancestors are you? Are you hurt?"_

There was a faint popping in the background of the message, it sounded like someone was shouting. Alec edged closer to her. Something wasn't right.

Tali, confused, replied, "Hurt? Why would I be hurt, what's happened?"

The captain didn't seem to be giving her his full attention_, "They're all around us! They appeared out of nowhere, they –watch out!- are killing us! Do not return to the ship, do not open fire! That is an-"_

The call suddenly cut off, Tali and Alec stared at the blank screen in horror, unknowing of what to do.

"It can't be," Alec breathed, "It's him. It's Daniel and his gang of psychos."

"Alec," Tali pleaded, "We have to get to the complex right now! My people are in danger!"

"I know, but they may have my license plates for the car on file. They may have bribed cops to follow us, that's how they knew where we were back in Hartford."

"But we need to get there anyway! The ship may leave regardless."

"Then we fight our way inside. I know what to do," reaching into his pocket, he produced a piece of paper which he wrote a series of numbers. This he gave to Tali, who looked at it quizzically. "That's the combination for the safe. Get in there and remove the rifle, the pistol, and the knife that has the words "Ka-Bar' stamped on the sheath. I have to make some calls."

* * *

Chief Broughton was sweating. He had the air conditioning in his car on full blast, but he was still sweltering. Just a few hours ago, he had received a message from Daniel, urging him to fake a 187, a homicide call or anything that got the few cops on duty tonight off the streets and away from what appeared to be the quarian housing complex.

Daniel had also provided information on an individual he requested that he and all the other cops on duty keep an eye out for and detain, if possible. The suspect was listed as one "Alec Lee," white male, average height, brown hair, it was also noted that he frequently traveled with a quarian, name unknown. The suspect's vehicles were all listed too: model, plate number, and color. A Honda SUV and motorcycle.

Broughton gulped. He hated this, all of this. He never should have gotten involved with Daniel and his group of bloodthirsty murderers. He had been naïve when they came to him, that their operation would go unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. That none of their exploits would ever be linked back to him. They had paid him handsomely, a police chief's annual salary is barely enough to survive in this day and age so he had taken the money without so much as batting an eye. He was just disappointed in how far he fell to have to get it.

He mused that after tonight, it was quite unlikely that Daniel would be able to get out of this without getting made. An assault on the quarians was tantamount to shooting at the White House. If Daniel was going to get caught, he would rat out Broughton in a second, he held no allegiance to the man. It was obvious that he was going to take the fall; he could see the headlines, "Police Chief Center in Quarian Shooting," or something to that effect. All he could do now was simply play along to his little demands and pray that the quarians had disobeyed the cease-fire and shot Daniel like the dog he was.

Suddenly, a cherry-red motorcycle zoomed past him, heading toward the mall it looked like. The person driving the bike was dressed in leather, black helmet on his head. The man had a partner on the small seat of the superbike, also adorning a black helmet, a woman judging by how the wind wrapped her leather clothes around her slim form. Broughton checked the speed scanner, they were only going fifteen miles over the speed limit, but perhaps busting hoodlums like this might calm his thoughts, if at least for a few minutes.

Before he could flick on his sirens, a silver shape floated past his window. He glanced at the badge and did a double take. It was a Honda CR-V, silver, the model year looked about right. Swiveling at his dashboard, the computer told him that the license plates matched. It was the target. With one final prayer that he wouldn't have to kill anyone tonight, he depressed the button for the sirens and chased after the Honda.

Oddly enough, the Honda complied with the sirens and pulled off at the next exit. Surprised at the turn of events, the chief watched with bated breath as the SUV pulled into the nearest parking lot and shut off the engine. Parking behind the car, Broughton extracted his large form from the vehicle and strode over to the driver's side. Rapping on the window, he motioned for the man to roll down the window. What followed gave him a nasty shock.

"Bloody hell, rozzers. You almost made me spaff all over my quiff, it was mental." The voice speaking to him was in an English accent, he wasn't aware he was chasing after an Englishman. In fact, he wasn't aware that his suspect had that round of a face, or the wrong color hair, or the wrong color eyes. Everything had just all gone wrong for the night.

Swallowing hard, Broughton extended his hand, "Let me see your identification." Broughton knew what the outcome was going to be but he was taking no chances.

"Jesus Christ Almighty," the man exclaimed, annoyed, "You filth are really persistent, for fuck's sake."

Ignoring the accented insults, he scanned the card to find the name. It was a Connecticut license, but instead of reading "Alec Lee," as he'd expected, it read "Gavin May."

"Was my taillight out?" The man inside the car implored, "I told that unionist pig over at the Napa that he'd botched the job but he assured me that all's well and good. Somehow I think he was lying. Bunch of stabbists."

_Crap. Where did they go?_

* * *

The quarian housing complex was actually one big building. It had been built in the seventies, for the oil corporation Union Carbide. When they went bust in the early 2000s, the building remained dormant, being used sparsely for conferences or the occasional prom.

Which was a shame because even today, the building still looked ahead of its time. It was comprised of interconnected hexagonal sections, while the whole structure was supported off the ground by massive stone pillars. This was because the terrain was too hilly to put a building flat on the ground and the contractors didn't want to bulldoze the whole thing, so the unconventional design was given the green light by the company to be built.

Now, it stood as the gateway for many quarians entering Earth for the first time. The top of the building stood a giant landing pad, implemented shortly after First Contact. The rest of the building was divided up into housing for the quarians, where a sort of city-state was convened inside. Only quarians were allowed in, unless special permission was given from the admiral in charge at the time.

There were two gates to the complex. There was a wide entrance on the southern end of the building which featured a garage adjacent to the entrance but the northern entrance was more straightforward to visitors. It was at this northern entrance that a bright red Ducati 1198 glided up to, passing by the guard station (which was empty) and the gate itself (smashed). Approaching the entrance to the garage, the handlebars turned slightly so that the entrance to the complex was in sight. Standing in front of the door stood two humans, one large and built, the other small and slight. The large man held his hand up to the approaching bike, he was holding a shotgun, as was his partner but both were currently pointed at the ground.

"Stop right there," the man called.

The rider of the bike complied, kicking the stand out so that it didn't tip over and compromise the seating of him or his passenger.

"Certainly," the rider said, voice muffled by the black helmet that he was wearing, "What's all this about?"

"This area's restricted, go on back."

The black helmet tilted to the side, "But I had permission to see the complex tonight, my girlfriend really wanted to go." He jerked a thumb toward his passenger as he said this.

The big man gave a nod of understanding, noticing his passenger for the first time. She was wrapped in a leather jacket, wore leather pants, and even sported a similar looking helmet. His eyes dropped downwards where he arched an eyebrow in surprise. The shoes didn't look right. The man had been wearing normal rider boots, this he could see. She, however, was wearing some type of shoe that didn't look familiar at all. It looked like it only fitted a foot that had three toes, like a-

Lifting his right arm, which was hidden behind the bike, the helmeted rider held a bulky rifle in one hand while his riding partner leveled a pistol at the thin man. Both didn't even have time to utter a word before twin _bangs_ reverberated throughout the covered parking garage. Her shot had gone straight into the man's head, killing him before he hit the floor, blood leaking out of the hole in his head. The rider's aim wasn't quite as efficient, his shot punched a hole into the big thug's stomach, blasting right through him and causing his intestines to spill out behind him. Despite the grievous nature of the injury, he was still alive and started spouting up blood as he tried, uselessly, to push his guts back into his body. The rider hopped off the bike and leveled the rifle, this time with two hands. Depressing the trigger, the top of the zealot's head flew off and showered the nearby pavement with gore.

Walking back from the bodies, the rider pulled the helmet off of his head, revealing a sweaty mop of brown hair. "You're a crack shot," Alec said, "You never let on to me how good you were with a pistol."

The woman hopped off the bike that belonged to one Anthony Wyatt, holstering the pistol and reaching up to remove her helmet as well, "Well, I never got the chance to show you last night. I was shot and you spent so much time worrying about my safety that you took my chance to show off." The helmet now off, it was almost comical to see that underneath it was just another helmet, albeit washed in a purple glow. Tali dropped her covering and made to pull her hood up back over her real helmet. "I'm just glad that you had extra pairs of riding clothes, but can I take them off now? They limit my movement and they're starting to make me heat up."

Alec could only stare as she ripped off the jacket and yanked her pants down (the latter with some difficulty), "I kind of liked you in leather…"

"Keep dreaming, mister. Oh, and by the way...girlfriend?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't exactly a false statement."

"You _bosh'tet_. You just like showing me off."

Alec laughed but turned serious as he hefted his AR-15, "Are you ready?"

Tali reloaded her Five-Seven, "Absolutely."


	14. Chapter 13: The Fall

Gunshots resonated through the tight hallway as blood smeared the wall from the three bodies standing in front of it. The lights were on the blink, flickering in and out, giving the scene an eerie quality.

Alec cautiously moved forward, rifle barrel smoking, Tali providing cover from behind. Since their initial entrance, they had run into a few patrols of men of the same cloth of Daniel. Alec was leading so the men never raised their guns whenever he approached them. Taking advantage of their laxness, he would repeatedly fire into their backs as they passed by. It eventually occurred to him that the terrorists were not expecting to fight humans, but quarians.

That was why everything seemed too easy. It was a shooting gallery and they had the run of the place. But they had arrived too late to halt the initial slaughter of Tali's compatriots and friends. They had come across a room in the beginning filled with the bullet-riddled corpses of quarians. Tali had said nothing, didn't even sniffle, except move past the door to continue on their way.

She had then run into the next room, where four thugs were brutally ripping the armor off of a male quarian, exposing him to the air. She fired four shots into the room and was rewarded when four bodies toppled. She had approached the quarian but he had been stabbed in the lung earlier and was clearly going to die. Grabbing her arm and leading her out, Alec had wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she slumped, too tired to cry.

Alec now paused to reload the magazine on his gun, dropping the empty clip on the dirty floor. Next to him, Tali did the same. "How much further to the pad?" He asked.

"There's a big room in the middle that's right outside these doors," she answered. "There is a staircase in the middle of the room that will take us to the top."

Alec nodded, pressing a button that loaded a round into the chamber, "Then let's go."

Each taking a door, they pushed their way inside and started looking for the staircase.

They spotted it rather easily. As she said, it was in the middle of the room, but the room was larger than he'd anticipated. It stretched for a few hundred meters in the opposite direction and some of the walls had the odd cosmetic choice of being covered by mirrors, most likely two-way as some of the rooms for the quarians faced outward. The room was covered in empty chairs and tables that had been kicked over in panic. Also, the room was occupied.

Two men stood in front of the stairwell. Both were wearing tank tops. Both were large and muscular. One had shoulder length brown hair while the other had short, cropped, blond hair. Alec recognized him instantly as the man who repeatedly punched him last night. The brown-haired man hefted a large Desert Eagle pistol, a gun used only by sport shooters and gun collectors, inefficient in this kind of environment. The blond haired man, on the other hand, held something a little more efficient. The bullpup design and the green coloring told Alec that the gun was a Steyr AUG, an automatic rifle with more stopping power than anything an ordinary citizen could buy. This was going to be tough.

The brown haired man tapped the blond on the shoulder, "I'll take the bitch, Luke. You can worry about him."

_Luke_. His rival had a name.

Not waiting to give them any more time to spare, Alec lifted his own rifle and began systematically leveling off shots at the pair ahead. Both of them ducked and kicked over chairs as they sprinted towards cover. Alec moved to the right, after Luke, Tali to the left. He could hear the loud report of the Desert Eagle but in between he could hear her Five-Seven barking in response. She was still alive and fighting. _Good_.

Rounding a nearby pillar, he stepped forward to Luke's position when all of a sudden he rose out of cover to spray the area with a burst from the AUG. Alec leaped behind the pillar as the bullets chewed into it.

"Fuck!"

This was tricky. He couldn't move unless he was going to be diced by that gun. In the distance, he could still hear stuttering gunfire. The AUG had stopped firing but he knew it wasn't out of bullets. Shifting his rifle so that it was pointed on his other side, he leaned out of cover to spray Luke's table with five rounds from the AR-15. Luke ducked, allowing Alec to cross over to a nearby table and duck underneath it.

The AUG blasted again and Alec stayed put as he heard footsteps brushing aside brass casings as Luke moved to another position, away from him.

_Damn it_. Now he'd have to start all over.

The Five-Seven was still firing. Evidentially Tali was having as much trouble as he was on their targets. This time, he didn't intend for the both of them to get shot.

He peeked his head out from behind the table. He could see the top of Luke's blond hair behind the table about fifty feet away. He lowered himself on his stomach and started crawling forward. Luke wasn't firing at him, he'd lost him. There was quiet for fifteen seconds. Alec could see no cover in the immediate vicinity that he could crawl to without being spotted. He waited a few precious seconds more before he rose to provide covering fire.

He had only depressed the trigger twice when the gun suddenly jerked in Alec's hand, the side of it pushing it into his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He fell to the floor, clutching his side. He raised his gun when he saw the problem. A bullet had hit his rifle as he was firing at Luke. A lucky shot, maybe, but now all of the machinery inside was ruined. The gun couldn't even fire anymore; it was little more than a heavy stick.

_Now what do I do?_

All he had now was his knife. Extracting it from the sheath at its side, the black Ka-Bar was going to be useless here. But it was all he had. He heard footsteps approaching. They were heavy and deliberate so he knew it was Luke coming after him. There was only one thing left.

Planting his feet on the ground, he lunged forward towards the staircase. He heard a grunt of surprise as his hunter saw what he was doing. A bullets smacked up and down the stairs, causing Alec to shift direction, running around the structure, out of sight of Luke.

Barreling past, he glanced behind him to see if he was closely pursued when his foot caught on something and he fell hard. Shaking his head in surprise, he rolled himself over to see what he'd tripped on. It was the body of the brown-haired man. He was clearly dead, as evidenced by the hole through one of his cheekbones and by the scattered shards of teeth that lay around his head. Grimacing, he tried to haul himself up but Luke had rounded the corner by then, AUG by his head, Alec clearly in his sights.

Relaxing his body, he surrendered himself to the calm feeling that it was all over. That he, at the very end, had failed her. _It was good while it lasted._ He shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable crash.

Instead he heard a scream and a guttural yell. He opened his eyes to find a purple form catching Luke in a stranglehold with one hand, a knife in the other. Yelling, Tali plunged the blade into the man's neck, causing a spurt of blood that coated the floor, making it slick. The knife had not stuck so deeply as she had hoped, because he wrenched himself out of her grasp, throwing her to the floor, causing her to grunt in pain. With a roar, he reached up and tore the knife out of his neck, blood still continuing to spurt in bursts.

Luke bent down to grab the fallen quarian by the neck, knife ready to plunge into her ribs. Alec began grasping for something to use as a weapon. _Anything, just something_. His hands brushed a grooved grip and he slid the heavy object forward until he could fit it in his grasp. The Desert Eagle. Looking ridiculous in his one handed stance, the huge pistol wavered down until Luke could come into focus. The second his head appeared in his sights, he depressed the trigger, not knowing if the gun was loaded or not.

The force of the recoil, combined with Alec's poor grip, caused the enormous gun to smack him in the head, creating a massive bruise just above his right eyebrow. Luke was considerably less fortunate. The fifty caliber slug pierced his windpipe, tore apart his trachea, and exited out the other side of his neck. Surprised, he released his grip on the quarian, who fell forward on her knees. The thug's neck was completely destroyed, it hung in tatters around his collarbone, blood was running everywhere, it was a wonder that his head hadn't snapped off his shoulders. Eyes lolling upward, Luke crashed to the ground, stone dead.

Tali then got up, brushed herself off and walked over to give Alec her hand. Taking it, she hauled him off his feet to bring him into a hug.

"I really hope that this doesn't become a habit," she sighed.

The two lying in the huge room were the last of the guards. This was evident as both of them reached the top of the staircase without any further resistance. Standing tall and mighty on the roof, was the ship. It was the ship that Alec had seen five years ago, the ship that had led him to her, that would now take them away from this awful place.

A lone quarian stood on top of the ramp that led up the ship. Alec just barely recognized the blue visor that the man possessed. Tyr'Danris, the captain. Seeing Tali, he motioned her forward up the ramp.

"Tali'Zorah," he yelled over the roar of the ship's engines, "I'm glad to see you alive. The humans have been going crazy for the last hour."

"Don't worry," Tali shouted back, "We took care of just about all of them, we're ready to go." She made to step on the ship, Alec right behind her when the quarian captain pulled out his pistol and pointed it at his chest.

"Not him."

"What are you talking about?" Tali asked, incredulous.

"He's not coming. I've been gracious enough as it is to allow the other humans on board, but I've never met this one. And I'm certainly not taking any chances after what's happened tonight."

"He's on our side!" Tali yelled, "He helped me take them out for you."

The captain didn't alter his position, "I don't care. I don't trust him and that's the end of it."

Tali dejected, turned towards Alec, as if to make him say something. At this he only shrugged.

"He _is_ the captain."

Tali slowly shook her head, starting back down the ramp, "Don't do this, you _bosh'tet_. He can't tell you what to do. Go on, a- ask him…for…"

"I figured this was going to happen anyway."

"What do you mean? You can't-"

"I knew this was going to happen," Alec said as he closed the distance, "I knew the quarians were never going to take me with." He gave a slow, sad smile as he held her hands, "But I did dare to hope that, for one fleeting moment, that I would follow you to the stars. But, it turns out it was not to be."

She was crying now and he felt horrible as his lifted a hand to the side of her visor, "I am the luckiest man in the galaxy to have known a woman like you. I have nothing but fond memories of all the time we spent together. There will never be anyone quite like you, Tali. And I will never stop thinking of you."

She moaned, "Y- you p- promised me, t- that you'd never l- _leave_ me…"

He hugged her shaking body, "If it means that you are safe and sound, then that's a promise I'd gladly break any day. I am so, so sorry, Tali."

The captain was now tugging at her arm, away from Alec, "Come on, Tali. We have to go."

"No…" she mumbled, "No…"

"Yes, Tali," Alec said, breaking free of her arms, "You have to go."

The captain was now dragging her, they were about halfway up the ramp, "Please…don't…"

Raising his voice so that he could overpower the roar of the engines, he yelled, "I love you more than anything else! I will only love you, I will always love you!"

Reaching the top of the ramp, the captain slammed a button on the control panel, the ramp started to rise. Tali was still in the captain's grasp, struggling to get free.

Right before the ramp closed shut, Tali screamed, "I LOVE YOU!"

* * *

There was an odd feeling in his stomach. He felt like he was sinking down to the ground, his feet felt impossibly heavy. He was staring at the ramp, dumbstruck at what had just occurred, jacket flapping in the breeze the engines caused. He didn't know how long it was going to take before it took off. Regardless, he was going to stay until the very end.

Turning around to get clear of the blast radius, he suddenly stopped as he spotted a figure ascending the staircase ahead of him. The figure was tall, his dirty blond hair flapping in all directions, his beard held miraculously in place. Lining his waist (to Alec's horror) was a rack of C4, a plastic explosive that was used for demolition, very powerful, very dangerous. Wires snaked around the rack to culminate in an object located in the man's pocket. Alec assumed it was a detonator. Stepping into the glare, Daniel smirked at Alec, hands by his side as if awaiting the first move.

Alec grimaced, if he wanted to do it here, fine. If nothing else, he could at least prove his worth to the quarian people. He lifted the huge Desert Eagle that hung at his side and fired. Daniel sidestepped as he started to walk forward, the bullet cleanly passing him. Alec lifted his head in surprise before firing the huge gun again, making sure to use two hands to steady the recoil. The second shot went wide, Daniel hardly flinched, still moving forward. Swearing, Alec lined up the gun to the center of Daniel's head. _Goodbye, fuckhead_. As the gun fired, Daniel ducked easily, death passing over his head, grinning.

Alec depressed the trigger in blind panic, but the chamber clicked, the slide racked back. Empty. Throwing the gun to the side, he extracted his knife once again from his side. This time he would use it. He shuffled his feet so that he was between Daniel and the ship. The last obstacle.

Daniel laughed quietly, "Son, you have no idea what you've done. Step aside and I can end this nightmare for all of us."

"You've already accomplished your mission. They're leaving now. Just let them go."

Daniel shook his head, "On the contrary, now that they've announced their presence to the world we must destroy them before they can return from whence they came."

"And what would that do in the meantime?"

"'If you kill all they send, they will send no more,'" Daniel quoted. "True words from a forgotten past. It is time we looked to our past mistakes for guidance. Mankind never stopped believing in devils, even when He was banished to the underworld for all eternity. We had our chance to stop him then, yet we didn't. And now we pay the ultimate price."

Daniel gestured towards the ship, "And isn't this that same situation? This is a test passed by our Lord. To see if we can destroy evil before it has a chance to destroy us."

Alec gritted, "Your pseudo-religious crap means nothing from where I stand. I see only a deranged lunatic with enough explosives to level an entire city block. Look at yourself and tell me, who is the evil here?"

Daniel only laughed at this, "Some men must fall farther than most to help others ascend. Why are you defending them, son? What purpose could it bring to you? You mean to tell me that you're doing all of this for them, out of some misplaced charity?"

Alec tensed, this was the moment, "Not for them. For _her_."

With a roar of rage, he rushed towards Daniel, knife in a backhand grip. He slashed viciously at the giant's head but he ducked underneath the blow and plowed a fist into the side of Alec's ribs. He dropped to a knee, coughing as Daniel paced close by, almost lazily.

Infuriated, Alec charged once again, swinging the knife in shorter arcs, driving Daniel back, trying to buy time for the ship to escape. _Why weren't they leaving?_

Taking advantage of him in his distraction, Daniel leveled a fist at the side of Alec's head sending him to the floor once again, blood dripping from his mouth. His knife had fallen out of his grasp, he scurried towards it to clutch it, this time like a sword.

"You've got spirit, son," Daniel laughed. "But you are in the way of the destiny of His children." He knelt down to produce a knife of his own from his boot, "Go ahead, the fun's only started."

Not taking him up on the bait, Alec slowly circled, waiting for an opening to lunge forward. Daniel mimicked his movements, always positioning his body so that he was facing straight at him. Daniel stutter-stepped and swung his knife in a deadly arc. Alec rolled on instinct and simultaneously stuck his knife out in an awkward combat roll. Amazingly, his blade made contact with Daniel's foot, grating across the bone, through his boot.

Daniel seemed only mildly annoyed at this. When Alec struggled to get up, the giant swung his blade toward him. Alec saw the blow coming and tried to step away but his back was suddenly on _fire_, he staggered but continued to grip the knife, backing away from the madman. There was pain, he felt the blood starting to drip down from his injury, it wasn't grievous but it wouldn't be the last wound of the night.

"Are you frightened now? You ready to-"

Hearing none of it, Alec lunged forward, for the first time catching Daniel off guard. He ducked underneath a giant arm as he brought the knife out to bear. The tip grazed the big man's chest and cut at an angle along his shirt. The wound started to bleed, soaking through the dark material.

Giving out a bellow, Daniel swung his blade down and it hit Alec in the leg. It stuck in there and Alec collapsed, his own knife falling from his grasp. His leg felt funny, he could hardly move it. It wasn't bleeding too badly which meant that it had missed his artery but there was probably catastrophic internal damage anyway.

Daniel bent to pick up Alec's fallen Ka-Bar and he savored every step towards the fallen man, taking his time.

"I told you before," he announced dramatically. "That all men fall. Your descent stops here, but you have a long way to climb."

Then Alec's face was covered in blood as he heard the odd report from a nearby object. It didn't sound like a firearm, although he would not have ruled it out as a possibility, either. Daniel looked down at his chest after the pink mist had faded from the air. His ribs were sticking out from his central cavity, having been forced outwards. He fell to his knees as he reached up to touch the wound in surprise. From this angle, Alec could see part of the man's heart, still beating, albeit erratically.

It didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things because another odd _pop_ was heard and Daniel's jaw split in two. There was a hole from the back of his neck and the lower ends of his jawbone were swinging on either side of his face. His tongue was lolling down his neck, nothing to support it. Blood cascaded in a waterfall down the man's neck. Daniel looked up from his wound to meet Alec's eyes. The man was still alive, even though he was about to expire within the next ten seconds. He locked his eyes with Alec's before making a strangled noise that emancipated from his ruined throat.

"Heh."

His body then seized and collapsed forward with a disgusting squelch. Daniel was dead.

Squinting through the haze that was beginning to penetrate his vision, he saw, once Daniel's body had fallen, that a familiar, slim form had stood behind the man, her glowing pistol still aimed at where the giant stood. He sighed, if he was dying, then this was not a bad last thing to see before he fell into nothingness. He smiled at her, then noticed a second form on the top of the staircase, both hands in front, holding something, a gun perhaps?

"Freeze!" Chief Broughton bellowed in the windy night, "No one fucking move!"

Alec was perplexed, what was a police officer doing here? He raised his hands willingly, in a daze. Tali, however, still kept her hands on her gun.

"Drop the weapon, now!" Broughton continued to scream as if his increased volume would make her comprehend the meaning of his words any better. Alec started to rise, but Broughton pointed his service pistol at his head.

"You too, asshole. Tell her to stand down or-"

Tali depressed the trigger three times. Three times blood spurted out of Chief Broughton's body as he tumbled down the staircase, the sounds of his falling body continuing to ring long after the last shot had been fired.

"Tali, NO!" He screamed, vision clearing for a brief moment, "What have you done? What did you just do?" He collapsed suddenly, aware of how tired he was, "Why, Tali? Why…"

He heard the voice from his dreams float through his head as he felt himself being lifted off the floor. Willing his mouth to let him regain some control in his final moments, he mumbled, "I didn't want for this to happen. I didn't want for any of this to happen."

"I know," came the curt reply. "But there was no way in hell that I was going to let one more person stand between me and my boyfriend ever again."

Alec struggled to lift his head, trying so hard to look at his savior, his girl, "I…love…you…"

The final syllable escaping, he met the blackness willingly.


	15. Epilogue: A Fresh Start

The darkness of space was largely ignored by the quarian people on the ship. Unsurprising, given that they were primarily a spacefaring species. If you've seen one corner of the galaxy, you've seen all of the galaxy.

This didn't apply to Alec Lee, who was sitting in a bed in what functioned as the med bay, staring sometimes for hours out of the window that was in his room. He was completely engrossed at how the tiny pinpricks of light were rushing past. To think that each one of those stars could contain worlds and that those worlds could contain life. It was all so heavy to him.

Hearing the now familiar _whoosh_ of the door opening, Alec turned his bed around so that he could look at his guest.

"How are you feeling?" Tali'Zorah chirped cheerfully as she lay next to him on the bed.

Alec sighed, "Better, now. I can move my foot a lot now. The doctor says that a couple days rest and medi-gel should render me ready to go."

Tali hugged her boyfriend, "That's great news, I'm glad you're going to be all right."

Alec, immensely grateful for her presence, returned the hug fiercely, "I hope I never get to do anything that foolish again."

"What are you referring to exactly? Trying to take on a man a few heads taller than you or having to kill several people to rescue a poor, helpless quarian?"

"The latter was a given," Alec said with a strained smile, clearly in pain, "As for the former, well…love makes you do stupid things sometimes."

"Now you're just beating yourself up, relax." To further accentuate this point, she grasped the sides of her visor, yanking it off her helmet which soon followed after a few seconds. Seeing Alec's worried face she mockingly sighed, "Oh, be quiet. I'm over my initial sickness from that night and it's clean enough in here anyway."

Alec, although thrilled at seeing her face again, threw up a hand in resignation, "If you say so."

Tali brought herself up as she started to straddle his body, putting her hands around his head. Alec, in the meantime, had placed his hands on her hips. Both stared at the other, waiting for someone to start talking.

"Once we get to the Citadel, everything changes," she said. "The Council will not have seen a human before, you will have to put on a good impression."

Alec laughed, "I can act good-natured if I have to, Tali. I'm not really afraid of some scrutinizing bureaucrats."

Tali, now bit her lip, something clearly on her mind, "And…after all that is over, did you have an idea of what to do after? Long term, I mean."

Alec broke his gaze to stare out of the window at the passing stars. It was quite a beautiful sight and he didn't speak a word until he'd had his fill of the big nothingness.

"Hm. I'd have to say that I'd need a place to live. Most likely I'll be set up in a sparsely furnished apartment so that's not going to do at all."

Tali shook her head, "Not at all."

"I would have to guess," Alec continued, "That as a start, I would like to build a house. Where, it doesn't matter, just somewhere we can lay down roots." He emphasized the word _we_ at that. "And after that, maybe start a family. It may sound cliché, but I've had enough adventures to last me for a lifetime. And I'd want to spend the rest of my days with the woman that I love."

"That sounds official," Tali said, teasingly.

"That was precisely the point. Will you stay with me forever, Tali'Zorah? From now until the end?"

Tears trailing down her dark cheeks, she brought her body close to his and whispered, "All the way."

And at that, they kissed.

Life was full of surprises.

* * *

**For Her**

* * *

_**And that, as they say, is how we do that. I would like to thank you all for bearing with me and having to stumble through my clunky prose from time to time. It's been a tremendous experience working on "For Her" and I hope you enjoyed the journey. Thank you once again and I appreciate all the support you've given me, it was quite a trip.**_

_**Please be so kind as to drop a review on your favorite chapter. I love to hear what the community thinks and what I can improve on the next time around.**_

_**-Rob**_

_**Also, be sure to check out the sequel: Second Stage. It is nearly finished and continues the saga of Alec and Tali as they head into the known universe of Mass Effect.**_

_**Edit: Updates are complete, should be no more egregious errors in grammar.**_


	16. Afterword and Appendix

**Rob's Notes:**

When writing _For Her_, I will admit that I was terrified at the prospect of writing a full-length story of this size. All I had was an idea and a nagging thought one day to just sit at my computer and _write_. And write I did. The reason why I'm tacking on this part to the story is so you all can view my stream of consciousness while working on _For Her_ and maybe will inspire some of you to develop your own stories in the future. Grammatical errors may exist…but whatever.

**Prologue:**

When developing the story, I had to find a way to effectively introduce the time period and the setting. I figured that I should start out in a military base, just so that the audience could get used to the prose and the fact that this would be a radically different story that most Mass Effect FFs out there. It probably could have been expanded a bit more but it will suffice, for now.

**Chapter 1:**

This is where it probably got the trickiest for viewers. Many of them were probably expecting a story featuring Shepard as the main character. There are a number of reasons why I did not do this. Firstly, to have Commander Shepard in this time period, not as a galactic marine or even a soldier in general, made no sense whatsoever. As a character, he would have been vastly out of place and would be considered inferior to many more of his counterparts portrayed on print. This is why I chose to create an entirely new character for said purpose, creating an AU. The character needed to be a bit more…relatable to the audience in terms of age and physical capabilities. He also needed to have a name that wasn't quite so complicated. Taking inspiration from actor Alec Guinness and Civil War general Robert E. Lee, I combined the two to create Alec Lee, our audience surrogate (always kinda figured he looked like actor Michael Biehn).

I wanted to spend the bulk of the story set in Connecticut because it never has been portrayed much in popular culture. I didn't want to revert to cliché by having such an event as First Contact take place in California, DC, or a small town in Kansas. The town of Danbury fit the bill and I had prior knowledge of the area because I have family that I visit there on occasion. That and a quick scan on Google Maps does wonders.

One thing that I do regret was the inclusion of so many of Alec's friends in the beginning of the chapter. I wanted to make it clear to the reader that the character had a stable social life but I was eventually unable to develop them all and they eventually reverted to being background noise. I could have accomplished this just by having only two friends, cutting others out, and it would still be just as cohesive.

**Chapter 2:**

Not one of my favorite chapters. I find that the dialogue is a little clunky in some areas and that I just breezed through some scenes that were crucial for development. I would get to make it up with all of the descriptive lines about Alec's lifestyle but we all have to make some sacrifices…

I chose the long gap in the middle of the passage to move past the college years and into a period where Alec would be back in Danbury, at his job. This was to make the character seem more mature through his shared experiences and build up his interest in the quarians overall. Could I have done it better? Ehh…we'll see.

**Chapter 3:**

A little more description here. This was all to get the audience settled into the fact that, "Hey, this isn't the Mass Effect universe that you're used to. " It's all part of drawing in the audience and the banter between the humans in a realistic manner only exemplifies that. Plus, we get to see how quarians would be integrated into our society should this event ever happen.

This was also the chapter that I took to introduce the villains. Overall, I'm not happy at my ability to write villains. They tend to be one-note and not very interesting apart from their physical prowess. I tried to make them seem threatening and sadistic by their violent actions against quarians in general, but I can't help but feel that they could have been fleshed out a bit more. Inspiration for these guys mostly stemmed from the Westboro Baptist Church, due to their blind hate against anyone they deem to be unworthy. I merely took the next step and thought, "What if they went a bit further? What if they started killing?" I took that idea and ran with it…and ended up in an interesting place.

Although, I did like their catch phrase…even if it was TDKR inspired.

**Chapter 4:**

Writing dialogue between Alec and Tali was one of the toughest parts of this story. It's hard to script a conversation without making any of the sentences seem corny or forced, especially when the two will eventually be romantic partners. You have to make sure that they establish a natural chemistry, make it feel more real, for lack of a better word.

Even so, it was rather cool to write out these scenes for my favorite ME squadmate ever (yes…it's Garrus, you've got me there…)

**Chapter 5:**

The idea to have Tali so interested in music was a concept that I flirted with in the previous chapter but I then went out and wrote it so that she would eventually develop an interest in Star Wars (grand-daddy of sci-fi, why not?). I thought it was a cute way for the couple to find out more about what the other was interested in, and develop their relationship without springing it upon the audience at the last second.

**Chapter 6:**

I skipped a few months on the timeline because I was just lazy and trusted the audience would believe that Alec and Tali were getting closer based on the events of last night. I did make an effort to explain how far they had gotten in terms of their friendship so it wasn't too sudden. Still not entirely convinced if I didn't screw myself over.

Got a chance to show off Alec's angry side here. You don't mess with a guy and a gun, especially if you've threatened his girl (not yet, but still…). Whatever, I liked the tension that the scene provided.

**Chapter 7:**

This was a pivotal point in the story. It basically confirmed that both Alec and Tali think of each other as really good friends and we got a chance to see both of their sensitive sides. Not every character has to be stoic and manly, they can cry. I think it makes them more human, I like my characters to be as three dimensional as possible.

The final text actually made me tear up when I wrote it. Go ahead and laugh.

**Chapter 8:**

These chapters devoted to long conversations are always the toughest to write. It's just how they are. That's not to say that they aren't important, just caution has to be used when you're writing this so you don't alienate (heh) your audience. I eventually went back and corrected some of the more cringe-worthy dialogue so that it sounds a lot better. Crichton I am not.

**Chapter 9:**

Now we got into the darker side of the story. I was partially influenced by the film Casino Royale when writing this, trying to emulate that atmosphere of helplessness. This is where that M rating started to come into play, with all of the violence done to Alec and the sinister nature of the group, language be damned. Did like how the exchange between Daniel and Alec turned out, very vicious sparring between the two.

**Chapter 10:**

I did say "violence," didn't I?

Battle scenes always go by the quickest for me. I had a lot of fun detailing the gruesome ways that Alec did as he killed his way out. Slit throats, cranial removal, neutered by shotgun, it was extremely satisfying. I also took the chance to show that Tali wasn't just a character that was only capable of crying in every single scene as evidenced when she started stabbing and quickly gaining the confidence to rush into a fight. It fit with the character well and I hope it is considered justice.

**Chapter 11:**

Ach, you _know_ what I'm going to talk about.

Scenes like the one detailed in this chapter are incredibly, incredibly hard to get right. Whenever I read about a love scene, in FF at least, I usually end up rolling my eyes at the ridiculous antics on the page and just stop reading altogether. There are a few rules that I put down that I wanted to differentiate this love scene from:

1. No crazy positions

2. No mention of fluids (ANY fluids)

3. And no specific descriptions or a vague reference to explicit body parts (NONE!)

Following those rules, you get a pretty tender and emotional scene. Why be cliché and just start detailing every single facet of a person's body? The audience doesn't need to know crap like that. They're smart, they can fill in the blanks. Why make a scene raunchy when you can make it passionate? It seems like such a simple order, yet most (emphasis on most) FFs constantly get this wrong. I would have to go back later and add a few more lines so that I could emphasize the erotic nature to separate it from its peers. I don't care if it isn't realistic in this manner, I only care about if the audience feels attached to the characters and not grossed out by sounding out every single conceivable action during sex. (Really, is it that necessary?)

Mood Music: "Conversation by the Window – Love Scene" from Brad Fiedel's soundtrack to The Terminator

**Chapter 12**:

Well, with their relationship pretty much culminated, I took the time for them to spend to be even cuter, as I was skeptical of continuing the story at that point. Might as well spend as much time with them as possible, right? This chapter pretty much set the stage for the final one, even though I did enjoy the concept of Tali in leather. (Missed opportunity there, Bioware!)

**Chapter 13:**

The fight between Alec and Daniel was always going to end up in a knife fight. I like the idea of personal battles, one on one, that are violent and intense. Knives were the weapon of choice for this story (reminiscent of The Abyss) and I had fun scripting Daniel's over the top death. It made my job harder in the sequel when I was figuring out how to top it. In any case, it closed off most of the plot lines and would have served as a nice story all on its own…until I got restless.

**Epilogue:**

This was written primarily to close out the story and fill in any plot lines if I wasn't going to continue. It made for a cute ending and the change in setting would provide a bigger challenge in the sequel.

(Would recommend closing out to College's "A Real Hero")

* * *

All in all, the development of For Her was an enlightening one, but quite stressful. It was written in three days and based on the number of grammatical errors at the start, that part was easily noticeable. Mental note, never write three chapters in one day, it isn't good for your sanity. I was actually expecting a total number of say…twenty views in the first month. I had no idea that over 4,000 views would accrue within the span of a month. I'm shocked to say the least, especially when I was writing this mainly for myself (yeah, I can be selfish too).

Enjoy the rest of your time and check out _Second Stage_, the sequel, if you haven't already.


End file.
